This site has information, support, and resources about Large Granular Lymphocyte (LGL) Leukemia, a rare chronic leukemia affecting approximately 1 in 3 million Americans every year. Patients and caregivers are welcome here and I hope that you feel comfortable in our supporting community.
LGL Leukemia was discovered by Dr. Thomas P. Loughran, Jr. in 1985 – he currently sees patients at the LGL Leukemia Program at the University of Virginia Cancer Center in Charlottesville, VA. UVA also maintains the only blood & tissue registry of blood and tissue from LGL Leukemia patients, which helps doctors and scientists research this rare disease.
“For chronic LGLL patients, there is no significant effect on lifespan.”
LGLL: Diagnoses, Therapies, and Hope (University of Virginia, RareShare, Rare Genomics Institute)
LGL Leukemia is a very survivable leukemia. To quote a 2018 presentation (accessible via UVA’s Learn About LGL Leukemia page), “For chronic LGLL patients, there is no significant effect on lifespan. The one major exception to that is patients can still die from a sudden bacterial infection that almost always occurs when the Neutrophil count is extremely low.”