[Leukemic infiltration of gastrointestinal system: unusual complication of hairy cell leukemia]

Hairy cell leukemia is a rare chronic lymphoproliferative disease, characterized by pancytopenia, splenomegaly and infiltration of the bone marrow and peripheral blood by abnormal lymphoid cells with unique morphology and specific cytochemical staining for the tartarate resistant isoenzyme of acid phosphatase. Leukemic infiltration of the gastrointestinal system is an extremely rare (less than 1%) complication during the course of the hairy cell leukemia. The authors presented a patient in whom the correct diagnosis of this unusual complication was of particular importance for the initiation of alpha interferon therapy. After successful treatment with alpha interferon the patient died, few months later, from unrelated disease-acute anteroseptal myocardial infarction.