DOI: 10.36347/sjmcr.2014.v02i05.014

Pages: 351-353

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare clonal chronic lymphoproliferative disorder commonly seen in males in the middle years of life .It is a rare form of leukemia characterized by pancytopenia, moderate to massive splenomegaly and bone marrow infiltration by an atypical cells with circumferential abundant cytoplasm which spreads in to shaggy hairy cytoplasmic projections. A 60 year old male presented with shrtness of breath, pedal oedema .On examination there was pallor ,and moderate splenomegaly. Peripheral smear was diagnosed as chronic lymphoproliferative disorder ( ? hairy cell leukaemia) . Bone marrow aspiration was a dry tap so bone marrow biopsy was done and was reported as hairy cell leukemia because of its characteristic fried egg appearance and increased reticulin on retic stain .Immunohisto chemistry showed CD20 ,cyclinD1 positive cells in the marrow. Flow cytometry was positive for hairy cell markers including CD19, FMC 7,and CD103 .Based on the clinical, peripheral smear ,bone marrow, immunohistochemistry, flowcytometry findings , a diagnosis of hairy cell leukaemia was made.