[Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. Therapeutic aspects].
CONVENTIONAL CHEMOTHERAPY: Complete remission of aggressive ATL (acute or lymphomatous forms) can be achieved in about 40% of the patients with conventional chemotherapy, but early relapse and infectious complications is the rule. For painless and chronic ATL, chemotherapy does not appear to be useful and can aggravate the immunodepression.
Encouraging results have been obtained with a combination regimen using an antiretroviral agent (AZT) and interferon alpha. Response rate has been high with good tolerance. In responders, the survival rate is better than with conventional chemotherapy.


CONCLUSIONS
The success of a potentially antiretroviral approach for the treatment of this generally chemoresistant disease suggests that HTLV-1 virus could have a continuous effect on in vivo leukomogenesis.
Besson
C
C
Service d'Hématologie clinique, Hôpital Necker, 149, rue de Sèvres, F75743 Paris.
Plumelle
Y
Y
Arnulf
B
B
Gonin
C
C
Panelatti
G
G
Bazarbachi
A
A
Hermine
O
O
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D012008:Recurrence; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D015215:Zidovudine