Hairy cell leukemia: bone marrow changes following splenectomy and alpha-interferon therapy.

Thirty hairy cell leukemia patients were evaluated repeatedly for their bone marrow (BM) histology. At the time of diagnosis, 18 (60%) had diffuse, 9 (30%) had interstitial, and 2 (10%) had a mixed (diffuse and interstitial) pattern of BM disease. The follow-up BM specimens were obtained at intervals of 3-24 months, and the follow-up observation period was 12-94 months.