title: Detection of preleukemic state of adult T-cell leukemia (pre-ATL) in HTLV-1 carriers.
abstract: The prevalence of the preleukemic state of adult T-cell leukemia (pre-ATL) was studied in Nagasaki prefecture, one of the endemic human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) areas in Japan. Pre-ATL cases have the monoclonal proliferation of abnormal lymphocytes, without signs of malignant proliferation or clinical signs and symptoms related to leukemia. HTLV-1 carriers who have monoclonal integration of HTLV-1 proviral DNA may be at high risk of developing ATL. Abnormal lymphocytes with either bilobular or large and chromatin-rich nuclei were found in 63/356 (17.7%) of HTLV-1 carriers among inhabitants. We analyzed DNA of peripheral lymphocytes from 108 carries with abnormal lymphocytes by Southern blot technique. Monoclonal integration of HTLV-1 has been detected in 12 cases (11.1%). These results lead to the conclusion that the prevalence rate of pre-ATL among all HTLV-1 carriers is about 2%. Pre-ATL is presumed to be the clinical stage which precedes ATL, although the possibility remains that the HTLV-1 carrier may develop symptoms of ATL directly, without going through the pre-ATL stage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Momita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Amagasaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsukasaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kusumoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomonaga
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002353:Carrier State / Q000635:transmission; D005260:Female; D015490:HTLV-I Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D011289:Preleukemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology