Macroglobulinemia and Hairy-Cell Leukemia

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Abstract
Leukemic reticuloendotheliosis, or hairy-cell leukemia, is a distinct clinical entity characterized by the proliferation of cells that have prominent cytoplasmic projections and contain the tartrate-resistant isozyme 5 of acid phosphatase.1 2 3 Although the clinical and morphologic features of this disease are widely known, there is considerable disagreement over whether the leukemic cell belongs to the lymphocyte or monocyte lineage.4 In the unusual case of hairy-cell leukemia reported below, the leukemic cells produced a monoclonal IgM, thereby substantiating the lymphocyte derivation of the neoplastic cells in this patient. The findings emphasize the wide clinical and biologic spectrum of B-cell neoplasms.Case History . . .