Diseases

Hairy Cell Leukemia

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Hairy cell leukemia is a rare, slow-growing cancer of the blood in which your bone marrow makes too many b cells (lymphocytes), a type of white blood cell that fights infection. These excess b cells are abnormal and look "hairy" under a microscope.

SYMPTOMS

Persistently feeling tired, weakness, weight loss for no reason, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, often at night, swollen lymph nodes, frequent infections and fevers, small red spots on the skin, an enlarged liver or spleen, easy bruising and bleeding, bone pain, especially under the ribs

CAUSES

Cancer occurs when cells develop errors in their dna. In the case of hairy cell leukemia, mutations in the dna cause your bone marrow stem cells to create too many white blood cells that don't work properly.