Hairy cell leukaemia risks and causes

Hairy cell leukaemia is rare. Altogether, around 190 cases are diagnosed each year in England, Scotland and Wales.  Just under 7,000 cases of leukaemia are diagnosed each year in the UK, so hairy cell is one of the rarer types of leukaemia.

Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is a risk factor. Different cancers have different risk factors. Having one or more risk factors for a disease does not mean that you will definitely get it. And, although a risk factor can increase your chances of getting a cancer, it does not cause cancer.

We don’t know what causes hairy cell leukaemia. The only risk factors we know of are age and gender. Hairy cell leukaemia tends to be more common after the age of 30. The most common age for diagnosis is around 50.

It is more common in men. About 5 times as many men are diagnosed with this type of leukaemia as women.