Weizmann Institute of Science Scientists Discover: A Survival Mechanism for Blood Cancer Cells

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia is a type of blood cancer in which specific white blood cells, called B lymphocytes or B cells, build up in the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes. The lifespan of a normal B cell is limited by an internal self-destruct program but, in cancer cells, this mechanism breaks down. B cells that don’t self-destruct can live on to multiply and eventually accumulate in dangerous amounts.