overview
Hairy cell leukemia cells under the microscope
Hair Cell Leukemia Open the popup dialog
Hairy cell leukemia is a rare, slow growing blood cancer in which your bone marrow makes too many B cells (lymphocytes), which are types of white blood cells that fight infection.
- These excess B cells are abnormal and appear “hairy” under a microscope. As the number of leukemia cells increases, fewer healthy white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets are produced.
- Hairy cell leukemia affects more men than women and is most common in middle-aged or older adults.Hairy cell leukemia Treatment Hyderabad
symptom
Some people have no signs or symptoms of hairy cell leukemia, but a blood test for another disease or condition can inadvertently reveal hairy cell leukemia.
- In other cases, people with hairy cell leukemia have signs and symptoms that are common with a number of diseases and conditions, such as:
- A feeling of fullness in your stomach that can make it uncomfortable to eat more than a little at a time
Tired
Easy bruising
Recurring infections
Weakness
Weight loss
The reasons
It is not known what causes hairy cell leukemia.
- Doctors know that cancer occurs when cells make mistakes (mutations) in their DNA. In hairy cell leukemia, mutations in DNA cause the stem cells in your bone marrow to make too many white blood cells that are not working properly. Doctors don’t know what causes DNA mutations that lead to hairy cell leukemia.
Risk factors
There are certain factors that can increase your risk of developing hairy cell leukemia. Not all research studies agree on which factors increase your risk of the disease.
Some research shows that your risk of hairy cell leukemia depends on your:
- Radiation exposure. People who are exposed to radiation, e.g. B. People who work on x-ray machines who do not wear appropriate protective equipment or who have received radiation therapy for cancer may be at greater risk of developing leukemia. Hair cells, but the evidence is inconclusive.
- Exposure to chemicals. There are conflicting studies on the role of industrial and agrochemicals in the development of hairy cell leukemia.Hairy cell leukemia Treatment Hyderabad