[Studies on association between the ATL and the development of multiple malignant neoplasms--analysis of 1171 cases of hematological malignancies during the past 24 years].

A high incidence of multiple primary neoplasms has been observed in our patients with ATL in comparison to persons with other forms of hematologic malignancy who we have observed during the past 24 years (1963-1985). Five of 15 patients with ATL (33.3%) have had at least one other associated neoplasm in comparison to only 44 of 1156 patients with other forms of hematological malignancy (3.8%). The incidence figures for secondary neoplasms associated with the other hematologic malignancies were 4.3% (16/370) for acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), 2.2% (2/90) for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), 4.8% (1/21) for acute unclassifiable leukemia, 2.2% (5/225) for chronic myelogenous leukemia, 4.7% (2/43) for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 5.9% (8/136) for malignant monoclonal gammopathy and 3.7% (10/271) for malignant lymphoma. The incidence of multiple neoplasms in patients with ATL in comparison to those with other hematological malignancies was significant (p less than 0.01 or p less than 0.001). The neoplasms associated with ATL have been adenocarcinoma of the thyroid or lung, and squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, lip or lung. We identified ATL-derived factor (ADF) in the cytoplasm of the secondary neoplasms of the ATL patients by means of indirect immunofluoroscopy and immunohistochemical techniques utilizing anti-ADF antibody. We also identified ras p21 products in these neoplasms by means of p21 ras monoclonal antibody studies. The possibility that HTLV-I was the cause of the secondary neoplasms thus was investigated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)