Support for Hairy Cell Leukemia

Hairy cell leukemia is a chronic condition that may require ongoing monitoring. Whether you and your doctor decide on treatment or watchful waiting, your doctor may want to see you every three to six months to conduct blood tests and possibly imaging tests to make sure the condition is being managed.

NYU Langone hematologists, oncologists, nurses, physical therapists, psychologists, and social workers are committed to helping you manage the condition and any needs that may arise. Our specialists offer a variety of support services designed to enhance your health during and after treatment.

Integrative Therapies

Our integrative health services include massage therapy, which can reduce stress and improve mood while you’re undergoing treatment. Our specialists also offer yoga, which encourages relaxation, builds strength, and restores flexibility.

Psychological and Social Support

Support groups and one-on-one counseling sessions with a psycho-oncologist, a healthcare provider trained to address the psychological needs of people with cancer, are available at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. Counseling can often help people with hairy cell leukemia cope with depression or anxiety that may stem from living with a chronic illness.

Social workers are also available to help address the challenges of living with an ongoing health condition and any financial matters that may arise during your treatment.

Nutrition

Our doctors encourage good nutrition as a part of follow-up treatment to maintain your overall health. Registered oncology dietitians at the Perlmutter Cancer Center can provide nutrition counseling and help you develop a diet plan.

Physical Rehabilitation

If a splenectomy is part of your treatment, doctors from NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation can evaluate you and prescribe in-hospital physical therapy to help you get moving after surgery. Being mobile can speed your return home. Our doctors can prescribe medications for any postoperative pain and discomfort affecting your mobility.

After you return home, outpatient physical therapy consisting of strength training and aerobic exercises may help to address the weakness and fatigue caused by the cancer or its treatments.

Neuropathy Treatment

Neuropathy may be a side effect of the chemotherapy drugs used to treat hairy cell leukemia. These treatments can cause nerve damage, with symptoms of numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness in the hands, feet, arms, legs, or other parts of the body.

Our doctors at Rusk Rehabilitation can prescribe medication to ease this discomfort and physical therapy to prevent neuropathy from interfering with your balance and strength or your ability to walk and perform daily activities.