Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment

For people with hairy cell leukemia, treatment options can include watchful waiting, chemotherapy, biological therapy, and surgery. When doctors use chemotherapy to treat hairy cell leukemia, the anticancer drugs used often include cladribine and pentostatin. In cases of hairy cell leukemia, treatment with biological therapy often involves the use of a biological agent known as interferon alfa. When surgery is used to treat hairy cell leukemia, it usually consists of a splenectomy.

 

Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment: An Overview

Hairy cell leukemia treatment options include:
 
  • Watchful waiting
  • Chemotherapy
  • Biological therapy
  • Surgery.
 

Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment: Watchful Waiting

Watchful waiting involves closely monitoring a patient's condition, without giving any hairy cell leukemia treatment until symptoms appear or change.
 

Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment: Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a hairy cell leukemia treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping the cells from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When healthcare providers place anticancer drugs directly into the spinal column, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy).
 
The way doctors administer chemotherapy will depend on the type and stage of hairy cell leukemia that is being treated. Examples of anticancer drugs used to treat hairy cell leukemia include cladribine and pentostatin.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD