Recent Advances in the Treatment of Hairy-Cell Leukemia

Hairy-cell leukemia, first described nearly 30 years ago,1 is a rare disease (representing approximately 2 percent of adult leukemias), which is characterized by splenomegaly, pancytopenia, and neoplastic mononuclear cells in the peripheral blood and bone marrow. The abnormal hairy cells are unique because of the presence on the cell surface of broad-based undulating ruffles, which appear under the light microscope as cytoplasmic projections or "hairs." These cells are most likely derived from pre-plasma-cell B lymphocytes, as demonstrated by the presence of immunoglobulin-gene rearrangements and B-cell–specific antigens. The diagnosis can usually be suspected from the clinical manifestations and evaluation of the . . .