Treatment of Hairy Cell Leukemia

Treatment of Hairy Cell Leukemia

Treatment of hairy cell leukemia may be medical or surgical.

Treatment of hairy cell leukemia depends on the stage of the disease. Treatment includes the following:

Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy medications that are used in the treatment of hairy cell leukemia include cladribine and pentostatin.

Biological therapy: This treatment includes monoclonal antibodies like interferon alpha and rituximab that are effective against the cancer.

Chemotherapy and biological therapy are sometimes used in combination to make the treatment more effective.

Surgical methods: Surgical removal of the spleen is sometimes used for patients who do not respond to medications or suffer with bleeding from a low platelet count.