title: Persistent remission after immunosuppressive therapy of hairy cell leukemia mimicking aplastic anemia: two case reports.
abstract: Some patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL) manifest pancytopenia and bone marrow hypoplasia without an apparent increase in atypical cells, so their disease resembles severe aplastic anemia at onset. We treated 2 HCL patients, who were initially diagnosed with aplastic anemia, with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in combination with cyclosporine or antilymphocyte globulin (ALG). Both patients obtained partial remission in response to the immunosuppressive therapy and did not need transfusion treatment for more than 3 years. Sustained improvement of hematopoiesis in such B-cell malignancies after ATG/ ALG therapy suggests that the mechanisms underlying successful immunosuppressive therapy for aplastic anemia may involve B-cell suppression, inhibiting hematopoietic stem cells.
authors.affiliation: Cellular Transplantation Biology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Chiharu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sugimori
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaito
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakao
mesh_terms: D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000473:pathology; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000473:pathology; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007943:Leukemia, Hairy Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012074:Remission Induction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016572:Cyclosporine