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Splenectomy for end‐stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Author(s) -
Stein Richard S.,
Weikert Douglas,
Greer John P.,
Flexner John M.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19870515)59:10<1815::aid-cncr2820591022>3.0.co;2-9
Subject(s) - medicine , splenectomy , hematocrit , surgery , refractory (planetary science) , chronic lymphocytic leukemia , stage (stratigraphy) , platelet , gastroenterology , leukemia , spleen , biology , paleontology , physics , astrobiology
Between February 1980 and December 1985, splenectomies were performed in 13 patients with advanced (Stage III and IV) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patients had advanced disease for a median of 32 months at the time of splenectomy and all were refractory to chemotherapy. All patients were anemic with a median hematocrit of 27.5%; nine patients were thrombocytopenic with a median platelet count of 46,000/μl. There was no surgical mortality and minimal morbidity. Median hematocrit was 35% at 1 month and 6 months postsplenectomy. Median platelet count in previously thrombocytopenic patients was 261,000/μl at 1 month and 177,000/μl at 6 months postsplenectomy. Median survival postsplenectomy in this advanced patient group was 24 months with four patients surviving more than 30 months. Splenectomy is a valuable adjunct to the management of end‐stage CLL.