Hairy cell leukemia.An immunologic and ultrastructural study

Abstract

A case of hairy cell leukemia in a 39-year-old man is reported. Hairy cells from the peripheral blood, spleen, and bone marrow had lambda-type immuno-globulin on their surfaces; those from the peripheral blood and bone marrow also had IgD on their cell membranes. Frozen sections of spleen reacted with IgGEA, but not IgMEA or IgMEAC markers. Transmission-electron microscopy revealed ribosome-lamella complexes in cells from the spleen, but not the peripheral blood. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated a spectrum of cell surface morphology with many cells characterized by ridges and ruffles. The significance of these findings is considered and it is suggested that the hairy cell is a B lymphocyte.