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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
Hairy cell leukemia is a rare, slow-growing cancer of the blood in which your bone marrow makes too many B cells (lymphocytes), a type of white blood cell that fights infection. These excess B cells are abnormal and look "hairy" under a microscope. As the number of leukemia cells increases, fewer healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets are produced.
Hairy cell leukemia affects more men than women, and it occurs most commonly in middle-aged or older adults.
Doctors aren't sure what causes hairy cell leukemia, and there is no cure. Hairy cell leukemia is considered a chronic disease because it may never completely disappear, although treatment can lead to a remission for years.
- Tallman MS, et al. Hairy cell leukemia. In: Abeloff MD. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008:2309.
- Zakarija A, et al. Hairy cell leukemia. In: Hoffman R, et al. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=aboutPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06715-0..X5001-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-443-06715-0&uniq=177554631. Accessed Jan. 7, 2010.
- Saven A. Hairy cell leukemia. In: Lichtman MA, et al. Williams Hematology. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=69. Accessed Jan. 7, 2010.
- Hairy cell leukemia treatment (PDQ): Patient version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/hairy-cell-leukemia/patient/allpages/print. Accessed Jan. 7, 2010.
- Hairy cell leukemia treatment (PDQ): Health professional version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/hairy-cell-leukemia/healthprofessional/allpages/print. Accessed Jan. 7, 2010.
- Rituxan (prescribing information). South San Francisco, Calif.: Genentech Inc.; 2009. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2009/103705s5299lbl.pdf. Accessed Jan. 7, 2010.
- Integrative medicine & complementary and alternative therapies as part of blood cancer care. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1150734030.pdf. Jan. 7, 2010.
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