Genomic instability and rapid clinical course in adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia patient

Abstract

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma is a distinct clinical entity characterized by a clonal proliferation of malignant T-lymphocytes. The etiologic agent of the disease is a Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I. It occurs almost exclusively in areas where the virus is endemic; however the disease develops only in the minority of patients who are virus carriers. Karyotyping findings and their correlation with clinical features are still limited in T-cell malignancies, complicated by clinical heterogeneity and a plethora of secondary abnormalities. This study describes detailed chromosomal and fluorescence in situ hybridization results observed in a patient with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and correlates them with clinical characteristics.

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“…These advanced stages of the disease resemble the majority of solid tumors, where the increase of genomic instability and accumulation of genetic changes are key features that are age‐related and are responsible for a relatively longer time period for the cancer to develop and progress. The linkage between genomic instability and poor prognosis has been well documented in both hematologic and solid cancer patients (Nishizaki et al, 2002; Nakamura et al, 2003; Caraway et al, 2008; Sato et al, 2010; Zamecnikova et al, 2010).…”