Risk of T-cell lymphomas in persons with AIDS.

Lymphomas in persons with AIDS are mostly B-cell types, but T-cell lymphomas have also been reported. We examined T-cell lymphoma risk in the 2-year period after AIDS onset by linking 302,834 adults with AIDS to cancer registry data. Of 6,788 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) with specified histologies, 96 (1.4%) were T-cell lymphomas. Assessment was based on clinical diagnosis and histology because T-cell marker data were inadequate, but when present, marker data supported the T-cell diagnosis. The relative risk of T-cell lymphoma, estimated by standardized incidence ratio, was 15.0 (95% confidence interval: 10.0--21.7). Risks were increased for all subtypes, including mycosis fungoides, peripheral lymphomas, cutaneous lymphomas, and adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). HIV-related immunodeficiency could be important, but differences between the population developing AIDS and the general population (e. g., immigration from the Caribbean region for ATLL) might independently increase T-cell lymphoma risk.