Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma. Unusual features of two patients from a low-incidence area.
The occurrence of adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma in two New Orleans patients, one native-born, the other originally from Honduras, is reported. Both exhibited an unusual feature. One patient was diagnosed following an atypical episode of sinusitis and demonstrated lymphomatous infiltration of the nasopharynx. A second patient had a fulminant course complicated by severe diarrhea and was found to have both tumor involvement and cytomegalovirus inclusions in the colon. Both had high titers of antibodies to HTLV-I. A cell line with T-lymphocyte characteristics was established from the peripheral blood of the first patient. Such studies may help better establish the clinical course, detection, and epidemiologic features of this difficult disease.
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001706:Biopsy; D046508:Culture Techniques; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006721:Honduras / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000473:pathology; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes
D000914:Antibodies, Viral