Development of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I-associated adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma during immunosuppressive treatment following renal transplantation.

Although it is recognized that there is an increased incidence of lymphoproliferative disorders among patients who have received immunosuppressive therapy following transportation, there have been few reports of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) developing in previously asymptomatic carriers of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) who have undergone transplantation. We describe the development of such a tumor in a man who was HTLV-I-positive and received immunosuppressive treatment following renal transplantation. As the number of individuals in ethnic groups at risk for organ transplantation increases, it would seem prudent to screen such individuals for carriage of HTLV-I before transplantation and to follow them prospectively to confirm if transplantation and immunosuppression predispose to the development of ATLL.