title: HTLV-I-associated leukemia/lymphoma in south Florida.
abstract: We report here 10 cases of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) seen in South Florida between February 1988 and July 1989. All were seropositive for human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) and seronegative for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). DNA extracted from tumor biopsies/peripheral blood lymphocytes of nine patients was shown by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to contain HTLV-I proviral DNA. Blot hybridization of DNA extracted from seven patients with an HTLV-I cDNA probe revealed a monoclonal pattern of proviral integration consistent with a diagnosis of ATL. Eight of the 10 patients were women. Six patients were from Haiti, three from Jamaica, and one from the Bahamas. All patients had very aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Two patients presented with sinus and retro-orbital involvement; another had gastric lymphoma that perforated. Nine patients developed hypercalcemia. Eight patients died within 1 year of diagnosis. Two were lost to follow-up. During the course of this study, 66 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were diagnosed at this hospital. Ten of these cases were ATL. The prevalence of HTLV-I-related lymphoma in this sample was 15%. Since tissue from all patients was not available for HTLV-I screening, however, it is possible that other cases of ATL went undetected. We conclude from this initial survey that a retroviral etiology should be considered in patients from populations known to be at risk for HTLV-I infection who present with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Genetics, William J. Harrington Center for Blood Diseases, School of Medicine, Florida.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Harrington
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Kemper
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Whitcomb
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rabin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011533:Proviruses
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral