[Hairy cell leukemia (author's transl)].

2 cases of hairy cell leukemia are reported. The disease is important for pathologists, because the splenomegaly is the leading clinical sign and often a splenectomy is performed with infomation about the true disease. The morphology of the spleen with infiltration of pulp cords and filling of sinuses by monomorphous blasts, with moderate fibrosis and atrophy of the white pulp is not convincing, because the hairy-like processes of the toumor-cell cytoplasm are not seen by usual histological examination. Hemocytomorphology and -cytochemistry are essential diagnostic procedures.