Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment

Treatment and Drugs

Treatment is not always required for individuals having hairy cell leukemia as this type of cancer has a slow progression rate and at times does not advance at all, some individuals would rather follow the wait and watch policy and prefer getting treated solely after they start becoming symptomatic. The major populace of individuals having hairy cell leukemia would ultimately require treatment.

Though one might be keen to free one’s body of any malignancy following diagnosis with hairy cell leukemia, there are no benefits of early treatment. In contrast to few other forms of cancer, hairy cell leukemia is relatively curable in all stages, translating to the fact that remission would not be any lesser if one adopted the wait and watch approach for treatment.

In case the presence of hairy cell leukemia is making a person symptomatic, then one could opt for undergoing treatment. Though hairy cell leukemia has no cure, still the bright aspect is that novel treatments are effectual in putting the disease in remission phase for several years.

Chemotherapy

Doctors have pegged the employment of chemotherapy drugs as the preliminary line of treatment for hairy cell leukemia. The vast populace of individuals would undergo a total or incomplete remission all through the chemotherapy course. The two kinds of chemotherapy drugs employed for treatment of hairy cell leukemia are:

• Cladribine (Leustatin)
  Majority of the treatment schedules for hairy cell leukemia start with cladribine. The patient would be given a continuous intravenous administration of the drug over a span of a week’s time. A total remission lasting for many years is often the case with majority of the individuals undergoing treatment with cladribine. In case hairy cell leukemia relapses, then re-treatment with cladribine is the course of therapy. Side effects experienced due to cladribine are infection and fever.
• Pentostatin (Nipent)
  Pentostatin has analogous remission rates as that of cladribine, however it is offered on a different regimen. Patients are given intravenous infusions of pentostatin every alternate week that would be continued till 6 months. The side effects due to pentostatin involve fever, infection, overly sensitive to light, inflammation in the eyes (keratoconjunctivitis), nausea and puking.

A small populace of individuals having hairy cell leukemia show resistance to chemotherapy meaning that they would fail to attain remission following the use of these drugs. Other individuals cannot take chemotherapy. For example, those having infections should steer clear from chemotherapy as these drugs repress the immune system and could worsen the existent small infections.

Biological Treatments (Immunotherapy)

Biological therapy or immunotherapy aims at making cancer cells more identifiable to the immune system. As soon as the immune system detects the cancer cells as offenders, it could start the annihilation process. The two kinds of biological treatments employed for treating hairy cell leukemia are:

• Alpha-interferon
  Alpha-interferon was the foremost biological drug that has garnered approval for cancer treatment. Alpha-interferon is generally suggested when chemotherapy has proven ineffectual or one is incapable of taking chemotherapy. Major populace of individuals treated with alpha-interferon taken over a span of a year have incomplete remission. Side effects faced are flu-similar signs like fever and exhaustion.
• Rituximab (Rituxan)
  Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that has got approval for treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, though it is at times employed in treating hairy cell leukemia. In case chemotherapy drugs failed to work or one cannot undergo chemotherapy, then the doctor could suggest rituximab. Side effects of rituximab involve bleeding, weariness, headaches and infection.

Surgery

Surgery for spleen removal (splenectomy) was the preliminary line of treatment employed for treating hairy cell leukemia, although it is used on occasional basis now-a-days. The doctor would suggest splenectomy in case there is a rupture or enlargement of the spleen and leading to pain or discomfort. Though removal of the spleen does not cure hairy cell leukemia, it could generally reinstate the normal blood counts. Hence due to this reason, splenectomy could be beneficial for individuals ailing from uninhibited infections. All surgical procedures have a risk of blood loss and infection. Spleen removal could lead to blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis) making one more prone to infection.

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