Diseases and Conditions
Hairy cell leukemia
Overview
Symptoms
Causes
Risk factors
Complications
Diagnosis
Treatment
Alternative medicine
Coping and support
Preparing for an appointment
Causes
It's not clear what causes hairy cell leukemia.
Doctors know that cancer occurs when cells develop errors (mutations) in their DNA. In the case of hairy cell leukemia, mutations in the DNA cause your bone marrow stem cells to create too many white blood cells that don't work properly. Doctors don't know what causes the DNA mutations that lead to hairy cell leukemia.
