Statistical analyses of clinico-pathological, virological and epidemiological data on lymphoid malignancies with special reference to adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma: a report of the second nationwide study of Japan. The T- and B-Cell Malignancy Study Group

Abstract

In the present nationwide survey, 1,040 new cases of lymphoid malignancy, in most of which expression of cell surface markers had been determined, and 243 controls for a case-control study on adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and other types of lymphoid malignancies were enrolled during the two years (1982-84) from 24 institutions throughout Japan. Among the 1,040 cases, 197 cases of ATL, 183 cases of T-cell lymphoma and 236 cases of non T-cell lymphoma were used in the detailed analysis of the clinico-pathological and epidemiological findings. Furthermore, 66 cases of ATL and 174 cases of other lymphoid malignancies were used for case-control analysis. In order to standardize the clinico-pathological classification throughout Japan, 20 hematologists and 12 pathologists met once a year and made the final consensus diagnosis in each case of lymphoid malignancy. Five hundred cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were examined for antibody to ATL-associated antigen (ATLA). Clinico-pathological and epidemiological features for these cases were compared according to their anti-ATLA antibody status. The new results obtained from this survey are as follows: All of the patients with ATL in Kyushu had anti-ATLA antibody, but several patients with ATL in other districts had no anti-ATLA antibody, suggesting that there was no association with ATL virus (ATLV) infection in these cases. There was a difference in the histopathological patterns in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma between Kyushu and the other districts, which was due to the difference in distribution of the ATLV-associated lymphoid malignancies, namely ATL, in each area. The histopathological distribution in anti-ATLA negative cases in the Kyushu district was almost the same as that in the other districts.