ANALYSIS OF RESPONSE TO INTERFERON-ALPHA- 2B AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES IN HAIRY-CELL LEUKEMIA

Hairy cell leukemia is a uncommon B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative d isease rarely associated with autoimmune phenomena. We present a posit ive CD 5 case with a positive antinuclear antibodies test in the absen ce of any relation to any other clinical autoimmune disease syndrome a nd we analyse the evolutive profile of serum concentration of several factors with prognostic significance, relating to the interferon alpha -2b treatment: C reactive protein, beta(2)-microglobulin and erythropo ietin presented at first very high basal levels that descended progres sively until the last two normalized completely; the tumor necrosis fa ctor-alpha manifested stable with normal values during the whole study ; the gamma-interferon and interleukin-6 revealed a precocious increas e at the start of the treatment later returning to their basal levels. These parameters may aid to assess the response to treatment in these patients.