Leukemia

Home » Leukemia » Treatment Options - Hairy Cell Leukemia

Hairy Cell Leukemia (HCL)

In the recent past, HCL patients who were symptom-free typically did not receive any treatment for the disease. However, they did undergo routine follow-up exams every few months to monitor leukemia progression and identify any new symptoms. Now oncologists treat almost all newly diagnosed HCL cases with chemotherapeutic drugs known as purine analogs or nucleosides. In most cases, such treatment will produce a prolonged remission and perhaps a cure.

Specifically, if the patient shows signs and symptoms such as low blood cell counts, frequent infections, bleeding/bruising, or fatigue, the oncologist may recommend chemotherapy with the purine analog cladribine (2-chlorodeoxyadenosine; 2-CDA).

If the patient's HCL becomes resistant to 2-CDA, chemotherapy with the purine analog pentostatin (2-deoxycoformycin; "DCF") or immunotherapy with interferon-alpha (INF-a) may be used instead.

In limited cases, the patient may benefit from splenectomy (removal of the spleen) or treatment with colony-stimulating factors (e.g., granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, a substance that helps to shorten the period of granulocytopenia resulting from chemotherapy).

Unfortunately, some younger patients develop HCL that is unresponsive to treatment. Clinical trials are being conducted with high-dose chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplantation.

© 1998-2009 Healthcommunities.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Leukemia Resources

	Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your Cancer The more knowledge you have, the easier it is to make decisions about your cancer treatment. Print this free handout to take with you on your next office visit.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Join Our Leukemia Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted. National Cancer Survivors Day is June 7, 2009 Share your survival story and help others in the fight against cancer. Read stories already submitted
To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer