Cytogenetic studies in human T-cell lymphoma virus (HTLV) -positive leukemia-lymphoma in the United States
Whang-Peng, J.; Bunn, P.A.; Knutsen, T.; Kao-Shan, C.S.; Broder, S.; Jaffe, E.S.; Gelmann, E.; Blattner, W.; Lofters, W.; Young, R.C.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 74(2): 357-369
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0027-8874 PMID: 2983135 Document Number: 261739
Cytogenetic studies were conducted on fresh and cultured cells from 11 patients with human T-cell leukemia virus-associated adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma. Clones with abnormal karyotypes were detected in 9 of the 11 patients. Chromosome numbers were near-diploid in cells from all but 1 patient who also had a tetraploid clone. The chromosome abnormalities in these cells were extensive; numerous complex structural changes were seen in every chromosome pair. Structural abnormalities occurred most frequently in chromosome 6. The 6 patients with chromosome 6 deletions had breakpoints at bands q11, q13, q16q23, q21q23, q22q24, and q23q24. The characteristic clinical features of these 6 patients were aggressive course, short survival, poor response to chemotherapy, high white blood cell counts, hypercalcemia, and bone lesions, whereas cytogenetically abnormal patients without chromosome 6q deletions tended to have a more indolent course. The precise role of the 6q deletion cannot be established with certainty from these data. However, this abnormality appears to occur with a greater than expected frequency in this large cell aggressive lymphoma, in association with hypercalcemia and lytic bone lesions.