Treatment Outcomes in Hairy Cell Leukemia: Data of Patients in a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Turkey for Over 20 Years

Objective: To share our clinical experience on the first, second, and third-line treatments of hairy cell leukemia (HCL), with cladribine and other methods, including splenectomy and interferon treatments. Methods: The clinical features, treatments (including response and complications), and survival data of 24 patients, who were diagnosed with HCL at Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital between November 1996 and August 2019, were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The mean follow-up time was 130.77 +/- 75.07 months. All patients who had received cladribine as a first-line treatment (n=17) demonstrated response to treatment, whereas complete response (CR) was observed in 41.2%. Mean progression-free survival after the first-line treatment was 83.58 +/- 57.40 months and median survival was 75.25 months (minimum-maximum: 2.14-194.79). Progression-free survival time was significantly longer in cladribine recipients. Conclusion: The effectiveness of cladribine in HCL treatment was once more shown in this study; however, the low frequency of CR to cladribine in our study compared to the literature was considered to be related to the increased frequency of massive splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy at the time of diagnosis, as well as low platelet values.