Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatments

Surgery

HCL can cause the spleen to enlarge. In this case, the spleen may be surgically removed. This is called a splenectomy .

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. It may be given in many forms. This includes pill, injection, and via a catheter. The drugs enter the bloodstream and travel through the body. While this will focus on cancer cells, some healthy cells are also killed.

Several new drugs show promise in the treatment of HCL. Initial chemotherapy is becoming more common as new drugs are found that work well in managing the disease. For resistant disease, there are some promising drugs that specifically target the leukemia cell such as:

• Rituximab / Rituxan
• Anti-CD22 antibody

Immunotherapy

Drugs are used to help boost the immune system to better fight and destroy cancer cells. It is also called biotherapy. Drugs like interleukin-2 and interferon may be used.

Bone Marrow Transplant

In this procedure, a patient's bone marrow is destroyed with high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation. The bone marrow is then replaced with healthy bone marrow from another person (the donor). The donor's tissue needs to closely match the tissue of the patient.

Treatment of Symptoms

HCL patients with anemia often receive blood transfusions . Those with recurrent infections may receive antibiotics and/or other drugs to fight the infections.