الملخص

• A B-cell malignancy that is characterised commonly by symptoms of fatigue, a markedly enlarged spleen, and a distinctive histological appearance on peripheral blood smear and bone marrow biopsy.
• The disease is not curable. However, it is highly responsive to therapy and may be managed successfully for a decade or more.
• Patients who are without symptoms do not require immediate treatment; nor is early treatment beneficial in extending life expectancy.
• In symptomatic patients, purine analogues have largely replaced traditional therapies, such as splenectomy, except in rare cases of splenic rupture or massive splenomegaly.
• Supportive care with antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, administration of irradiated blood products, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factors may have a role in therapy for hairy cell leukaemia.