Successful treatment of hairy cell leukemia variant with rituximab

S. Narat, J. Gandla, A. Dogan, Atul Mehta

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) variant is a rare low-grade B-cell disorder affecting the elderly or middle-aged population with features intermediate between those of HCL and prolymphocytic leukemia. Unlike HCL, it is resistant to most conventional treatment. We report a case of a 53-year-old man who had refractory thrombocytopenia and lymphocytosis for 8 years. Investigations and analysis of spleen and bone marrow revealed a diagnosis of HCL variant. He opted for treatment with rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeting CD20. There was complete recovery of his full blood count and a bone marrow biopsy performed 3 months post-treatment showed complete remission. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported patient with HCL variant for whom treatment with rituximab was successful, and this treatment needs further investigation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1229-1232
Number of pages4
JournalLeukemia and Lymphoma
Volume46
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2005

Keywords

  • Hairy cell leukemia variant
  • Rituximab
  • Splenomegaly
  • Thrombocytopenia

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Hematology
  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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