Hairy cell leukaemia
Hairy cell leukaemia is a type of blood cancer that affects your white blood cells. It develops slowly over time.
What is hairy cell leukaemia?
In hairy cell leukaemia the body produces abnormal white blood cells called lymphocytes. These abnormal cells look hairy under a microscope.
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Hairy cell leukaemia prognosis
Hairy cell leukaemia is a chronic condition. That means it doesn’t go away, but it does develop slowly and treatment has a high success rate.
Symptoms and diagnosis
The symptoms of hairy cell leukaemia are caused by having fewer healthy blood cells than normal. It is slow-growing and symptoms can be mild.
Hairy cell leukaemia treatment
Some people don't need treatment straight away. When you do need treatment, chemotherapy and immunotherapy are the main options.
Living well with hairy cell leukaemia
It is possible to live well and enjoy life with blood cancer. Find out how other people cope with life after a blood cancer diagnosis.
Thank you to Consultant Haematologist Sunil Iyengar for checking the clinical accuracy of this hairy cell leukaemia information.