title: Characterization of the spectrum of postthymic T-cell malignancies in Taiwan. A clinicopathologic study of HTLV-1-positive and HTLV-1-negative cases.
abstract: Postthymic T-cell malignancy shows marked geographic, clinicopathologic, and prognostic diversity. The frequency and spectrum of T-cell malignancies in Taiwan were investigated. Fifty-two patients (35 male and 17 female) with a median age of 49 years, were consecutively encountered between October 1983 and April 1987; these accounted for 39% of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cases seen in our institutions. Ten patients (19.3%) had adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) associated with human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1). Patients with ATL had disease similar to that reported from southwestern Japan and the Caribbean. They had frequent skin lesions (60%), hypercalcemia (40%), and a rapid clinical course with a median survival of 1.3 years. The 35 HTLV-1-negative peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTL) were similar to PTL in western countries, manifesting frequent visceral, cutaneous, and vascular tropisms. Marrow involvement was documented at presentation in 39% and Stage III/IV disease in 80% of the PTL patients. The histology of PTL usually expressed prominent reactive features which is distinct from that in ATL. Several subcategories could be defined: Hodgkin's-like PTL in nine patients, T-zone lymphoma in three, angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy-like lymphoma in one, Lennert's lymphoma in three, and angioinvasive lymphoma in four. Two HTLV-1-negative PTL had neoplastic cells with clover-shaped nuclei and were designated as ATL-like. Morphologic classification based on the modified Working Formulation showed prognostic correlation, with median survival of less than 6 months for large cell/immunoblastic PTL, compared with 5 years for patients with small/medium cell PTL. Both low- and high-grade PTL seem to represent an incurable disease. Classical cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (seven cases) is relatively unusual in Taiwan, compared with the frequency of PTL. Post-thymic T-cell malignancies in Taiwan include HTLV-1-positive and HTLV-1-negative diseases, both of which have a poor prognosis and resemble similar T-cell malignancies in the East and West.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000956:Antigens, Viral