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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia with central nervous system involvement: report of two cases with a comprehensive literature review

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Abstract

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is a rare complication of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with varied outcomes. We contribute two additional cases of CLL with CNS involvement. The clinical course and response to treatment are described. All 78 previously reported cases of CLL with CNS involvement are presented in this comprehensive review of the literature. CNS involvement of CLL is a rare complication that does not seem to correlate with any evident risk factors. Resolution of CNS symptoms can often be accomplished with intrathecal chemotherapy or irradiation. Early detection and treatment may result in better outcomes in this rare complication.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported in part by grants from NIH 3P30CA023100-25S8 to S. Kesari.

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  1. Department of Neurosciences, Moores UCSD Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Alan A. Moazzam, Ryan Y. Kim & Santosh Kesari

  2. Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Jan Drappatz

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  1. Alan A. Moazzam
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Correspondence to Santosh Kesari.

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Moazzam, A.A., Drappatz, J., Kim, R.Y. et al. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia with central nervous system involvement: report of two cases with a comprehensive literature review. J Neurooncol 106, 185–200 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-011-0636-z

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