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Hairy cell leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. The white blood cells help fight off germs. There are a few different types of white blood cells. The white blood cells involved in hairy cell leukemia are called B cells. B cells are also called B lymphocytes.
In hairy cell leukemia, the body makes too many B cells. The cells don't look like healthy B cells. Instead, they've undergone changes to become leukemia cells. The leukemia cells look "hairy" under a microscope....
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Hairy cell leukemia might not cause symptoms. Sometimes a health care provider finds it by accident during a blood test for another condition.
When it causes symptoms, hairy cell leukemia might cause:
It's not clear what causes hairy cell leukemia.
Hairy cell leukemia begins in the white blood cells. The white blood cells help fight germs in the body. There are a few types of white blood cells. The white blood cells involved in hairy cell leukemia are called B cells.
Hairy cell leukemia happens when B cells develop changes in their DNA. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do. The changes tell the B cells to make a lot more B cells that don't work right. These cells go on liv...
Hairy cell leukemia treatments are good at controlling the disease. But they can't make it go away completely. Instead, treatments can control the cancer so that you can go about your life as usual. People with hairy cell leukemia can live with the disease for many years.
Treatment for hairy cell leukemia doesn't always need to start right away. This cancer often gets worse very slowly over time. You might choose to wait and have treatment if the c...
For informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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