Description

Hairy cell leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. White blood cells help to fight the germs. There are a couple of different types of white blood cells. The white blood cells that are involved in the hairy cell leukemia are called cells B. B cells are also called b lymphocytes.

In hairy cell leukemia, the body makes too many B cells . The cells don't look as healthy B cells . Instead, they have undergone changes to become leukemia cells. The leukemia cells look "hairy" under a microscope.

Hairy cell leukemia cells to continue living when healthy cells would die as part of the cell's natural cycle of life. The leukemia cells build up in the body and cause symptoms.

Hairy cell leukemia is often worse slowly. The treatment may not be necessary to start immediately. When it is necessary, it is often the treatment with chemotherapy.

The scientists found a type of cancer that is seen as hairy cell leukemia, but it gets worse much faster. This type of cancer is called hairy cell leukemia variant. It is considered a different type of cancer, hairy cell leukemia, although it has a similar name.

Symptoms

Hairy cell leukemia may not cause symptoms. Sometimes, a doctor found by accident during a blood test for another condition.

When the causes of the symptoms, hairy cell leukemia can cause:

  • A feeling of fullness in the abdomen, which can make it uncomfortable to eat more than a little bit at a time
  • Fatigue
  • Easy bruising
  • Recurrent infections
  • Weakness
  • Losing weight without trying

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your health care provider if you have any persistent signs and symptoms that worry you.

Causes

It is not clear what causes hairy cell leukemia.

Hairy cell leukemia begins in the white blood cells. White blood cells help fight the germs in the body. There are a few types of white blood cells. The white blood cells that are involved in the hairy cell leukemia are called B cells .

Hairy cell leukemia that occurs when B cells develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do. The changes tell B cells to make more of B cells that did not work well. These cells continue living when healthy cells would die as part of the cell's natural cycle of life.

B cells that do not work well crowd healthy blood cells in the bone marrow and other organs. This leads to symptoms and complications of hairy cell leukemia. For example, the excess of cells can cause swelling in the spleen, liver and lymph nodes. If there is not enough room for healthy blood cells, this can lead to frequent infections, easy bruising, and feeling very tired.

Risk factors

The risk of hairy cell leukemia may be greater in:

  • Older adults. Hairy cell leukemia can occur at any age. But the majority of people diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia are in their 50s or 60s. It is rare in children.
  • In the case of males. Hairy cell leukemia can happen to anyone. But it is more likely than in men.

Complications

Hairy cell leukemia is often worse very slowly. Sometimes it remains stable for many years. For this reason, some of the complications of the disease.

Too few healthy red blood cells

If there are too many leukemia cells in the body, which can crowd out healthy blood cells. That can lead to:

  • Infections. Your body needs healthy white blood cells to fight off germs. If your body can't produce enough healthy white blood cells, you may have more infections.
  • The bleeding. Your body needs healthy platelets to control bleeding. If the number of platelets in the blood is low, it is possible to notice that you bruise more easily. You may also have bleeding from the nose or gums.
  • Anemia. Your body needs red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body. Having too few red blood cells is known as anemia. Anemia can make you feel very tired.

The increased risk of other cancers

Some studies found that people with hairy cell leukemia have an increased risk of other types of cancer. The other types of cancer including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma and others. It is not clear if the other cancers are caused by hairy cell leukemia, or cancer treatments.

Diagnosis

To diagnose hairy cell leukemia, your health care provider may recommend:

  • Physical exam. Your medical professional can palpate the spleen, to see if it is too large. The spleen is an oval-shaped organ on the left side of the upper part of the abdomen. If the spleen is too large, you can feel a sense of fullness in your belly. You may have pain or discomfort when eating.
  • Blood tests.You could have a blood test to measure the levels of blood cells in the blood. This test is called a complete blood count (CBC) with differential. You have three major types of blood cells in the blood. Include red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. In hairy cell leukemia, aCBCtest can show all the levels of these cells are too low. Another type of blood test could involve looking at your blood under a microscope. This test can detect the cells of hairy cell leukemia. This test is called a peripheral blood smear.
  • Bone marrow biopsy. A bone marrow biopsy is a procedure to remove some of your bone marrow to the test. Your healthcare provider will remove a small amount of bone marrow from your hip area. This sample is used to locate the cells of hairy cell leukemia.
  • Laboratory tests to analyze the leukemia cells. Hairy cell leukemia cells obtained from the blood and bone marrow are examined in a lab. These tests examine the changes in the DNA of the cells. This helps your doctor to understand your prognosis and what treatments are best for you.
  • Computed tomography (CT scan). A CT scan shows detailed images of the inside of your body. Your doctor may order a ct scan to detect signs of swelling in the spleen and lymph nodes.

Blood tests. You could have a blood test to measure the levels of blood cells in the blood. This test is called a complete blood count (CBC) with differential.

You have three major types of blood cells in the blood. Include red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. In hairy cell leukemia, a CBC test can show all the levels of these cells are too low.

Another type of blood test could involve looking at your blood under a microscope. This test can detect the cells of hairy cell leukemia. This test is called a peripheral blood smear.

Treatment

Hairy cell leukemia treatments are poor in the control of the disease. But you can't do it completely disappears. In contrast, the treatments may control the cancer so that you can go about your life as usual. People with hairy cell leukemia can live with the disease for many years.

The treatment may not be necessary to get started right away

The treatment for hairy cell leukemia, you don't always need to get started right away. This type of cancer is often worsens very slowly over time. You can choose to wait for and receive treatment if the cancer starts to cause symptoms.

If you do not have treatment, you will have regular appointments with your health care professional. You may have blood tests to see if the hairy cell leukemia is becoming worse and worse.

You might decide to start the treatment if you start to get hairy cell leukemia symptoms. Most people with hairy cell leukemia will require treatment.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. It is often the first treatment for hairy cell leukemia. Chemotherapy is very effective in hairy cell leukemia. Most of the people get a complete or partial remission after chemotherapy. Remission means that there are no signs of cancer.

Chemotherapy for leukemia hairy cell can be given as a shot. Or may be administered as an infusion into a vein.

If the hairy cell leukemia comes back, your doctor may recommend the repetition of the chemotherapy with the same drug or try a different medication. Another option may be the target of drug therapy.

Targeted drug therapy

Targeted drug therapies attack specific chemicals present in the cancer cells. By blocking these chemicals, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die.

Targeted drug therapy is sometimes used as a first treatment for hairy cell leukemia. Can be used with the chemotherapy. Most often, the targeted therapy is an option if the cancer has come back after chemotherapy.

Your health care provider of their cancer cells tested to see if it targeted drug therapy is likely to work for you.

Alternative medicine

There are alternative medicines are useful for the treatment of hairy cell leukemia. Alternative medicine can be useful in other ways. Can help you deal with the stress of a cancer diagnosis and the side effects of treatment.

Talk with your health care provider about your options, such as:

  • Art therapy
  • Exercise
  • Meditation
  • Music therapy
  • Relaxation exercises
  • Spirituality

Coping and support

A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. To help deal with the situation, you could consider trying to:

  • To find out enough to feel comfortable in making decisions about your care. Learn about hairy cell leukemia and cancer treatments. This can help you feel more confident about making decisions about your treatment. Ask your health care provider to suggest some reliable sources of information to help get you started.
  • Connect with other cancer survivors.Friends and family are an important network of support during their cancer experience. But you can not always understand what is the face of cancer. Other cancer survivors provide a unique support network. Ask your doctor about support groups or organizations in your community that you can connect with other cancer survivors. Organizations such as the Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society offer ways to connect with others online.
  • Take care of yourself.You can't control if your hairy cell leukemia comes back, but you can control other aspects of your health. Take care of yourself by eating a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Exercise regularly. Get enough sleep so that you wake up feeling refreshed. Find healthy ways to cope with stress in your life.

Connect with other cancer survivors. Friends and family are an important network of support during their cancer experience. But you can not always understand what is the face of cancer. Other cancer survivors provide a unique support network.

Ask your doctor about support groups or organizations in your community that you can connect with other cancer survivors. Organizations such as the Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society offer ways to connect with others online.

Take care of yourself. You can't control if your hairy cell leukemia comes back, but you can control other aspects of your health.

Take care of yourself by eating a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Exercise regularly. Get enough sleep so that you wake up feeling refreshed. Find healthy ways to cope with stress in your life.

Preparing for your appointment

Start by seeing your health care provider if you have any symptoms that worry you. If your doctor suspects that you may have hairy cell leukemia, it may suggest that you see a specialist. This could be a doctor who treats diseases of the blood and bone marrow. This doctor is called a hematologist.

Appointments can be brief, so it's a good idea to be prepared. Here's some information to help you prepare.

What you can do

  • Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there is anything that you need to do beforehand. For example, you may need to restrict your diet.
  • Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
  • Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
  • Make a list of all medications, vitamins or supplements you are taking.
  • Consider the possibility of a family member or friend. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who comes with you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
  • Write questions to ask their doctor.

Your time with your doctor is limited. Prepare a list of questions so that you can make the most of your time together. A list of questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For hairy cell leukemia, some basic questions to ask include the following:

  • What kinds of tests do I need?
  • I'm going to need therapy for my hairy cell leukemia?
  • If I don't have treatment, you will be my leukemia worse?
  • If I need treatment, what are my options?
  • We tried to cure my hairy cell leukemia?
  • What are the side effects of each treatment option?
  • There is a treatment that you feel is best for me?
  • How will cancer treatment affect my daily life?
  • I have these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
  • Are there any restrictions that I need to follow?
  • You should see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover it?
  • Are there brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites do you suggest?

What to expect from your doctor

Your provider is likely to ask a series of questions. Be ready to answer them may allow more time later to cover other points you want to address. Your provider may ask:

  • When did you begin to have symptoms?
  • The symptoms been continuous or occasional?
  • How severe are the symptoms?
  • What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
  • What, in any case, it makes your symptoms worse?
Symptoms and treatment of Hairy cell leukemia