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. 2025 Feb 5:16:20406207251316178.
doi: 10.1177/20406207251316178. eCollection 2025.

Experience in the management of patients with HTLV-1 positive adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in a Latin American center

Danielle Floyd-Aristizábal  1 , Cristian Alonso Barreiro García  2 , Oriana Arias-Valderrama  2   3 , Catalina Proaño Millán  3 , Nhora María Silva Perez  4 , Joaquín Donaldo Rosales Martinez  5 , Elizabeth Arrieta López  5
Affiliations

Experience in the management of patients with HTLV-1 positive adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in a Latin American center

Danielle Floyd-Aristizábal et al. Ther Adv Hematol. .

Abstract

Background: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is a neoplasm with a high prevalence in certain regions such as southwestern Japan, the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and Australia. In Colombia, the seroprevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) has been reported in specific populations, but there is limited information about the clinical course and management of ATL in the country.

Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with HTLV-1-positive ATL in a high-complexity healthcare institution in Colombia and compare these findings with reports from other geographic regions.

Design: Observational retrospective cohort study conducted in a single high-complexity healthcare institution in Cali, Colombia, including patients diagnosed between 2011 and January 2022.

Methods: This study presents an observational retrospective cohort of patients diagnosed with HTLV-1-positive ATL and managed at a high-complexity institution in Cali, Colombia. Eligible patients were adults diagnosed with ATL and HTLV-1 seropositivity, receiving treatment between 2011 and January 2022. Demographic, clinical, and treatment-related variables were collected and analyzed using descriptive and survival analyses.

Results: Thirty-three patients diagnosed with ATL between 2011, and January 2022 were identified and included in the study. Most patients were female (52%) with a median age of 54 years. Acute presentation was the most common (64%), and most patients were identified at Ann Arbor stage 4. Treatment mainly consisted of various chemotherapy protocols, with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine sulfate, and prednisone (CHOP)-like regimens being the most frequently used. However, the overall response rate to chemotherapy was low, and most patients experienced complications and toxicities associated with treatment.

Conclusion: This study provides insights into the clinical course and management of ATL in a Colombian population. The findings highlight the predominance of acute presentations, advanced disease stages at diagnosis, and challenges in achieving a complete response with conventional chemotherapy. Further research is needed to improve treatment strategies, identify prognostic markers, and develop more effective therapies for ATL patients in Colombia.

Keywords: adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL); human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Symptoms at hospital admission.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Kaplan–Meier analysis of overall survival. Time in months.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Kaplan–Meier analysis of survival according to Ann Arbor staging. Time in months.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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