Bouroncle BA, Wiseman BK, Doan CA. Leukemic reticuloendotheliosis. Blood. 1958;13(7):609-630

Abstract

In this paper, Bertha A. Bouroncle and colleagues describe for the first time the clinical and pathologic features of hairy cell leukemia. The term "leukemic reticuloendotheliosis" proposed a cell of origin that was misplaced, but the remainder of scientific work described is completely consistent with our current understanding of the disease. Specifically, this paper describes the frequency of hairy cell leukemia among all adult leukemias and characterizes the pathology using several techniques still applied today. Furthermore, examining the clinical features of these patients, the authors describe the signs and symptoms of the disease, complications that arise, and expected outcome without modern therapy available today.