Discovered in 1958 by The Ohio State University cancer researcher Bertha Bouroncle, MD, hairy cell leukemia, or HCL, is a rare form of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. HCL, which gets its name from the hairy look that these leukemia cells have under a microscope, accounts for about two percent of all leukemias diagnosed in the United States (about 1200 to 1800 diagnoses per year), with onset typically occurring later in life.
Dr. Bouroncle, along with fellow Ohio State researchers Michael Grever, MD, and Eric Kraut, MD, developed a drug to treat HCL. What was once a uniformly fatal cancer is now treatable, enabling patients to lead relatively normal lives.
Hairy Cell Leukemia Research
Today, largely because of Dr. Bouroncle and her colleagues’ unrelenting work ethic and groundbreaking discoveries, highly successful therapies have been developed right here at the OSUCCC – James. The result: patients with HCL who receive targeted, individualized treatment can typically maintain a normal quality of life. In fact, because of the landmark work done by the experts at the OSUCCC – James, HCL’s overall complete remission rate is approximately 85 percent, with nearly 70 percent of those patients remaining in remission 10 years after treatment.
The OSUCCC – James hairy cell leukemia research team, led by Dr. Grever, continues to honor Dr. Bouroncle’s legacy by remaining dedicated to conducting meaningful, in-depth scientific research that is focused on improving the quality of life and extending the time between treatments for those diagnosed with this rare type of leukemia.
In addition to the many research projects at the OSUCCC – James, the HCL research team extends beyond the lab to promote collaboration and cooperation across an international network of institutions. As a founding member of the international Hairy Cell Leukemia Research Foundation, our internationally recognized experts promote knowledge and education on HCL for medical professionals as well as for patients and their families around the world. As a result, Ohio State has been designated a Hairy Cell Leukemia Center of Excellence and is home to a dedicated, internationally recognized HCL clinic.
Clinical Trials
The OSUCCC – James has hundreds of open clinical trials at any given time, with some of the world’s latest discoveries available to clinical trial patients right here in Columbus, Ohio. In fact, patients have access to more of this nation’s leading-edge, targeted treatments and drugs than at most hospitals in the region.
Two of many exciting research studies at the OSUCCC – James offer new hope for patients who had not been previously diagnosed with HCL or whose HCL has come back. These studies will look at therapies that target the very cancer cells — and only those cells — within a patient with HCL.
One of those therapies, a drug called ibrutinib, has already shown tremendous promise in sending HCL back into remission. The phase II ibrutinib trial investigates whether the drug will stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. In another trial, researchers are investigating how well the drug vemurafenib eliminates hairy cell leukemia cells from the blood.
As one of only a few institutions approved by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to conduct phase I and II clinical trials on NCI-sponsored anticancer agents, the OSUCCC – James has access to more leading-edge, targeted cancer therapies than most hospitals across America. That translates to better outcomes, fewer side effects and more hope.
Scientific Accomplishments
Consensus Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Patients With Classic Hairy Cell Leukemia. Published in Blood.
PIs: Michael Grever, MD; James Blachly, MD; Eric Kraut, MD; Gerard Lozanski, MD
Genome-Wide Promoter Methylation of Hairy Cell Leukemia. Published in Blood.
PI: Christopher Oakes, PhD
Classic Hairy Cell Leukemia Complicated by Pancytopenia and Severe Infection: A Report of Three Cases Treated With Vemurafenib. Published in Blood.
PIs: James Blachly, MD; Kerry Rogers, MD; Michael Grever, MD
Population Pharmacokinetics of Lenalidomide in Patients With B-Cell Malignancies. Published in British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
PIs: A. Mitchell Phelps, PhD; Michael Grever, MD
Insight Into Origins, Mechanisms and Utility of DNA Methylation in B-Cell Malignancies. Published in Blood.
PI: Christopher Oakes, PhD
Related Resources
Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment
Hairy Cell Leukemia Treatment Team
How Pelotonia Supports Cancer Research at Ohio State