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Internal Medicine

Hairy cell leukaemia

Contents

Introduction

Hairy cell leukaemia is an uncommon haematological malignancy characterized by an accumulation of abnormal B lymphocytes.

  • Sub-type of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)
  • Prevalence: 2% of all leukaemias

Diagnosis

Investigations

Peripheral blood smear:

640px-hairy_cell_leukemia_smear_2009-08-20
Hairy cell leukemia: abnormal B cells look “hairy” under a microscope because of radial projections from their surface. | Paulo Henrique Orlandi Mourao – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8045229

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