Neoplasms Associated with Hairy Cell Leukemia

Guy Laurent, MD, Service d’Hématologie, CHU de Toulouse-Purpan, Place du Docteur Baylac, F-31059 Toulouse Cédex (France) To the Editor, Montserrat et al. [1982] have described recently in this journal a neoplasm complicating a case of hairy cell leukemia (HCL). While studying a series [unpublished] of 35 cases of HCL, we observed similar associations in 4 cases: squamous cell carcinoma of·the skin (1 case), piriform sinus carcinoma (1 case), and carcinoma of the lung (2 cases). Patients were respectively 76, 71, 69, and 65 years old. No prior chemotherapy was given before the emergence of carcinomas. However, in our opinion, further reports in larger series are needed for suggesting a close relation between the processes. Reference Montserrat, E., Nomdedeu, B.; Diumenjo, C; Es-trach, M.T.; Rozman, C: Neoplasm associated with hairy cell leukemia. A case report. Acta haemat. 67: 141.(1982)