BACKGROUND.
Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is caused by human Tlymphotropic virus type I. Gastric lesions in ATLL have not been described precisely, whereas the clinical features of ATLL have been well documented. The goal of the present study was to review gastric lesions, including gastric involvement, of patients with ATLL who were admitted to our hospital.
METHODS.
Endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract was performed on 76 of 110 patients who were admitted to our hospital between 1981 and 1994. Gastric involvement was diagnosed by histologic examination of biopsy specimens of gastric lesions. Types of gastric lesions, histologic features, and survival periods in patients with ATLL were summarized.
RESULTS.
Of the 76 patients withATLL who underwent an endoscopic examination, 23 had gastric involvement (30.3%). Twenty-seven patients had other gastric lesions: 10 with peptic ulcers (13.2%), 8 with gastric erosions (10.5%), 3 with submucosal tumors (3.9%), 2 with hyperplastic polyps (2.6%), 1 with gastric adenoma (1.3%), and 3 with gastric carcinomas (3.9%). The most frequent endoscopic configuration of gastric involvement with ATLL was the diffuse type with ulceration, and the most common histology was large cell type. Among those with the acute type ATLL, the survival period of those patients with gastric involvement was less than that of the patients without gastric involvement. In contrast, the survival period for lymphoma type ATLL did not differ among the groups regardless of gastric involvement.