|
 
 |
| IMAGE IN HEMATOLOGY |
|
| Year : 2017 | Volume
: 8
| Issue : 1 | Page : 39 |
|
Lymphocytes hairy looked: An initial smear finding in the diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia
Valéria Salgado, Mayara C Ramos, Denise Rezende, Ricardo A Fock PhD
Clinical Laboratory Division, Pharmacy and Clinical Laboratory Department, University Hospital, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| Date of Web Publication | 12-Apr-2017 |
Correspondence Address:
Ricardo A Fock
Clinical Laboratory Division, Pharmacy and Clinical Laboratory Department, University Hospital, University of São Paulo, Avenida Lineu Prestes, 2565, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-900
Brazil
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1658-5127.204429
How to cite this article:
Salgado V, Ramos MC, Rezende D, Fock RA. Lymphocytes hairy looked: An initial smear finding in the diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia. J Appl Hematol 2017;8:39 |
How to cite this URL:
Salgado V, Ramos MC, Rezende D, Fock RA. Lymphocytes hairy looked: An initial smear finding in the diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia. J Appl Hematol [serial online] 2017 [cited 2023 Feb 7];8:39. Available from: https://www.jahjournal.org/text.asp?2017/8/1/39/204429 |
A middle-aged man was admitted to the hospital with a complaint of flu symptoms. He had fever, dry cough and weakness associated with mucocutaneous pallor and night sweats. In the physical examination, splenomegaly was observed. The hemogram results showed hemoglobin = 8.6 g/dL and hematocrit = 27.9%. The platelet count was 36,000/μL and the white blood cells = 8620/μL (776 segmented neutrophils; 7586 lymphocytes; 172 monocytes; and 86 eosinophils). The lymphoid lineage showed cells with medium-size to large, with loose chromatin, nucleoli and cytoplasmic projections [Figure 1]. The hairy cell leukemia (HCL) diagnosis was confirmed by bone marrow cells immunophenotype markers positive for CD19, CD20, CD103, and CD79b. | Figure 1: (a and b) Hairy cell − lymphocytes with abnormal cytoplasm and a hairy look (magnification: 1000×; May-Grünwald stain)
Click here to view |
HCL is a lymphoproliferative disorder of B-cells characterized by splenomegaly without lymphadenopathy, presence of lymphocytes with abnormal cytoplasm and bone marrow, liver and spleen infiltrations.[1] The initial diagnostic findings are based on the presence of progressive pancytopenia and lymphocytes with fine projections on their surface that make them hairy looked.[1],[2] HCL confirmation is based on the flow cytometry immunofenotyping, and B-Raf proto-oncogene (BRAF) mutation tests should be performed in all cases before initiation of any therapy.[1],[2] Thus, the presence of lymphocytes hairy looked in the bloodstream is important for the initial and correct investigation of HCL.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Grever MR, Blachly JS, Andritsos LA. Hairy cell leukemia: Update on molecular profiling and therapeutic advances. Blood Rev 2014;28:197-203.  |
| 2. | Jain P, Pemmaraju N, Ravandi F. Update on the biology and treatment options for hairy cell leukemia. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2014;15:187-209. |
[Figure 1]
|
Search Pubmed for