Epidemiological and clinical features of adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) in Japan, 2010–2011: a nationwide survey

Summary

Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) is a mature T-cell malignancy associated with human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1) infection. Japan is the most endemic country for HTLV-1 and ATL in the world. Recent nationwide studies of Japanese blood donors reported that HTLV-1 carriers spread from endemic areas to non-endemic areas. Therefore, the latest information on nationwide epidemiological and clinical data for ATL is necessary to guide clinical practice. We conducted a multicenter, hospital-based survey of newly diagnosed ATL patients from 2010 to 2011. A total of 996 patients with ATL were registered from 126 hospitals across Japan. Of those, 922 (487 male and 435 female) were included in the analysis. The median age at diagnosis was 68 years (interquartile range [IQR] 60–75 years). Overall, 67.2% of ATL was diagnosed in Kyushu-Okinawa area. The most common subtype was acute (49.5%), followed by lymphoma (25.7%), chronic (14.2%) and smoldering (10.6%). Lymphoma type was more prevalent in males (60%), whereas chronic was more prevalent in females (60%). Half of patients with lymphoma type were aged over 70 years, whereas one third of the chronic type were aged under 60 years. All of these characteristics were different from those of the previous nationwide surveys in the 1980s–1990s. This survey clarified that half of current patients with ATL are aged over 68 years who were unable to receive intensive cytotoxic therapies. New less toxic agents for aged patients and further strategies to prevent the development of ATL from HTLV-1 carrier status are needed.

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