Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in Taiwan: an analysis of 17 patients and review of the literature.
OBJECTIVE
We reviewed our experience with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), describing the clinical manifestations and outcome in order to facilitate case recognition in the future.


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 17 patients with ATL diagnosed from January 1996 to September 2009 at Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.


RESULTS
The overall survival of the whole study group was 138 days. The medial survival of the 10 patients who received chemotherapy is 204 days. The other six patients who did not receive any chemotherapy had a median survival of 28 days. The co-infection rate with HTLV-1 and HBV or HCV is 47% and 35% respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
ATL in Taiwan is a rare malignant T-cell lymphoma with a very poor prognosis. Our series raised the interesting possibility of an association with chronic hepatitis B or C.
Lee
Chun-Wei
CW
Division of Internal Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. aps624@yahoo.com.tw
Chang
Ming-Chih
MC
Chang
Yi-Fang
YF
Hsieh
Ruey-Kuen
RK
Lin
Johnson
J
Chen
Kung-Shen
KS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology