Overview
Hairy cell leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. The white blood cells help fight off germs. There are a few different types of white blood cells. The white blood cells involved in hairy cell leukemia are called B cells. B cells are also called B lymphocytes.
In hairy cell leukemia, the body makes too many B cells. The cells don’t look like healthy B cells. Instead, they’ve undergone changes to become leukemia cells. The leukemia cells look “hairy” under a microscope.
Hairy cell leukemia cells keep living when healthy cells would die as part of the natural cell life cycle. The leukemia cells build up in the body and cause symptoms.
Hairy cell leukemia often gets worse slowly. Treatment might not need to start right away. When it’s needed, treatment is usually with chemotherapy.
Scientists found a type of cancer that looks like hairy cell leukemia, but it gets worse much faster. This other type of cancer is called hairy cell leukemia variant. It’s considered a separate type of cancer from hairy cell leukemia, even though it has a similar name.
Symptoms
Hairy cell leukemia might not cause symptoms. Sometimes a health care provider finds it by accident during a blood test for another condition.
When it causes symptoms, hairy cell leukemia might cause:
- A feeling of fullness in your belly that may make it uncomfortable to eat more than a little at a time
- Fatigue
- Easy bruising
- Recurring 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.
