Remission in hairy cell leukemia-variant following splenic radiotherapy alone.
The therapeutic approach to hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is in some instances still debated. A variant form of HCL (HCL-V) characterized by high white cell count, splenomegaly, hypercellular and aspirable bone marrow has been described; differential diagnosis often arises with some other B-cell disorders which also show circulating hairy or villous lymphocytes. Conventional treatment for HCL is often less effective in HCL-V. In this report we describe a case with features consistent with HCL-variant treated with splenic radiotherapy. We not only obtained an hematological response but also the near total disappearance of bone marrow infiltration, compatible with a clinical complete remission. Clinical and biological implications of this phenomenon are discussed on the basis of this unexpected therapeutic result, obtained with splenic radiotherapy alone.
Sgarabotto
D
D
Fourth Chair of Internal Medicine, Institute of Medical Semeiotics, University of Padua Medical School, Italy.
Vianello
F
F
Radossi
P
P
Poletti
A
A
Sotti
G
G
Stefani
P M
PM
Sartori
R
R
Girolami
A
A
D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D007943:Leukemia, Hairy Cell / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D012074:Remission Induction; D013154:Spleen / Q000528:radiation effects*