TITLE:
Hairy Cell Leukemia Treated with Rituximab and Cladribine in Abidjan
AUTHORS:
Boidy Kouakou, Edgard Lontsi, Danho Clotaire Nanho, Ismaël Kamara, Yao Nicaise Atiméré, Dohoma Alexis Silué, Affoué N’guessan Jeanne Ines Kouakou, Ruth Djeket, Hiabba Emmanuela Assohou Koffi, Norman Isaac Klébair Kouamé, Atta Emmanuel Kouadio, Kouassi Gustave Koffi
KEYWORDS:
Hairy Cell Leukemia, Immunophenotyping, Targeted Therapy, Abidjan
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Blood Diseases,
Vol.16 No.4,
October
28,
2026
ABSTRACT: Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare hematologic malignancy, accounting for approximately 2% of all leukemias, and is characterized by the proliferation of mature “hairy” B lymphocytes Diagnosis is based on the morphologic identification of tumor cells in the peripheral blood and/or bone marrow, followed by demonstration of specific markers by immunophenotyping; failure to assess these markers may lead to confusion with other lymphoid neoplasms Diagnosis remains challenging in sub-Saharan Africa because of limited technical resources, and very few studies have been conducted. We report the case of a 48-year-old patient with hairy cell leukemia who was diagnosed and managed in our department at Cocody University Hospital in Abidjan with cladribine and rituximab, resulting in complete remission.