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Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)

Patient Version
Last Modified: 07/15/2011

Treatment Options for Hairy Cell Leukemia

Untreated Hairy Cell Leukemia
Progressive Hairy Cell Leukemia
Relapsed or Refractory Hairy Cell Leukemia

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Untreated Hairy Cell Leukemia

If the patient's blood cell counts are not too low and there are no symptoms, treatment may not be needed and the patient is carefully watched for changes in his or her condition. If blood cell counts become too low or symptoms appear, initial treatment may include the following:

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with untreated hairy cell leukemia 1. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site 2.

Progressive Hairy Cell Leukemia

Treatment for progressive hairy cell leukemia may include the following:

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with progressive hairy cell leukemia, initial treatment 3. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site 2.

Relapsed or Refractory Hairy Cell Leukemia

Treatment of relapsed or refractory hairy cell leukemia may include the following:

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with refractory hairy cell leukemia 4. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site 2.



Glossary Terms

biological therapy (BY-oh-LAH-jih-kul THAYR-uh-pee)
Treatment to boost or restore the ability of the immune system to fight cancer, infections, and other diseases. Also used to lessen certain side effects that may be caused by some cancer treatments. Agents used in biological therapy include monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, and vaccines. These agents may also have a direct antitumor effect. Also called biological response modifier therapy, biotherapy, BRM therapy, and immunotherapy.
blood cell count (blud sel kownt)
A test to check the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in a sample of blood. Also called CBC and complete blood count.
chemotherapy (KEE-moh-THAYR-uh-pee)
Treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells.
clinical trial (KLIH-nih-kul TRY-ul)
A type of research study that tests how well new medical approaches work in people. These studies test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease. Also called clinical study.
hairy cell leukemia (HAYR-ee sel loo-KEE-mee-uh)
A rare type of leukemia in which abnormal B-lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) are present in the bone marrow, spleen, and peripheral blood. When viewed under a microscope, these cells appear to be covered with tiny hair-like projections.
high-dose chemotherapy (hy-dose kee-moh-THAYR-uh-pee)
An intensive drug treatment to kill cancer cells, but that also destroys the bone marrow and can cause other severe side effects. High-dose chemotherapy is usually followed by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation to rebuild the bone marrow.
monoclonal antibody (MAH-noh-KLOH-nul AN-tee-BAH-dee)
A type of protein made in the laboratory that can bind to substances in the body, including tumor cells. There are many kinds of monoclonal antibodies. Each monoclonal antibody is made to find one substance. Monoclonal antibodies are being used to treat some types of cancer and are being studied in the treatment of other types. They can be used alone or to carry drugs, toxins, or radioactive materials directly to a tumor.
progressive disease (pruh-GREH-siv dih-ZEEZ)
Cancer that is growing, spreading, or getting worse.
refractory cancer (reh-FRAK-tor-ee KAN-ser)
Cancer that does not respond to treatment. The cancer may be resistant at the beginning of treatment or it may become resistant during treatment. Also called resistant cancer.
relapse (REE-laps)
The return of a disease or the signs and symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement.
rituximab (rih-TUK-sih-mab)
A drug used to treat certain types of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is also used with other drugs to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis. It is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer and other conditions. Rituximab binds to a protein called CD20, which is found on B-cells, and may kill cancer cells. It is a type of monoclonal antibody. Also called Rituxan.
splenectomy (spleh-NEK-toh-mee)
An operation to remove the spleen.
stage (stayj)
The extent of a cancer in the body. Staging is usually based on the size of the tumor, whether lymph nodes contain cancer, and whether the cancer has spread from the original site to other parts of the body.
symptom (SIMP-tum)
An indication that a person has a condition or disease. Some examples of symptoms are headache, fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and pain.
targeted therapy (TAR-geh-ted THAYR-uh-pee)
A type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances, such as monoclonal antibodies, to identify and attack specific cancer cells. Targeted therapy may have fewer side effects than other types of cancer treatments.

Table of Links

1http://www.cancer.gov/Search/ClinicalTrialsLink.aspx?Diagnosis=40078&tt=1&a
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2http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials
3http://www.cancer.gov/Search/ClinicalTrialsLink.aspx?Diagnosis=40079&tt=1&a
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4http://www.cancer.gov/Search/ClinicalTrialsLink.aspx?Diagnosis=40080&tt=1&a
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