A HYPOTHESIS ON THE ETIOLOGY OF ADULT T-CELL LEUKEMIA-LYMPHOMA

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 72  (5) , 684-691
Abstract
The results of the nationwide survey performed by the T- and B-cell Malignancy Study Group revealed that [human] adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) was prevalent in limited zones in Kyushu [Japan], mainly in coastal areas that are warm in winter and humid in summer. The geographical distribution of filariasis was very similar to that of ATLL. Filariasis affects lymphatic vessels and results in several lymphoreticular ailments, and microfilaria is transmitted by mosquitoes infected with some kinds of not yet fully identified viruses. From analyses of the time trends of the average weight and height of schoolchildren by prefecture, the nutritional condition of inhabitants in Kyushu might have been poorer than that of inhabitants of other areas in Japan, especially in the past. To elucidate the etiology of ATLL, relevant geographic-pathological information was accumulated and an etiological hypothesis was formulated. Repeated exposure to filarial antigen and some viruses might have played an important role in the etiology of ATLL. Undernutrition may also have contributed to the progression of ATLL.