Implication of HTLV-I infection, strongyloidiasis, and P53 overexpression in the development, response to treatment, and evolution of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in an endemic area (Martinique, French West Indies).

A clinicopathologic study was conducted to assess the implication of HTLV-I infection, Strongyloides stercoralis (Ss) infection, and P53 overexpression in the development, response to treatment, and evolution of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in Martinique, French West Indies. Two groups of patients, with 22 and 41 participants with B-cell and T-cell lymphoma, respectively, were analyzed. HTLV-I antibodies were detected in 24 (59%) patients with T-cell lymphoma of whom 19 (46%) fulfilled diagnostic criteria of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). By comparison with other T-cell lymphomas, patients with ATLL were significantly younger (52 versus 63 years; p = .03), had a significantly higher incidence of hypercalcemia (60% versus 0%; p = .0001), a trend for higher incidence of digestive tract localization (21% versus 4%; p = .1) and significantly shorter median survival (6 versus 17 months; p = .03). Similar results were observed when all 24 HTLV-I-infected patients with T-cell lymphoma were compared with the 17 seronegative patients. Strongyloidiasis was diagnosed in 11 of 34 patients tested for Ss infection. All 4 Ss-infected (Ss-positive) ATLL patients treated with combination chemotherapy achieved complete remission (CR) versus only 2 of 7 Ss-negative ATLL patients (p = .04). In addition, survival of Ss-positive patients with ATLL was better than that of the uninfected patients: 27 versus 5 months, p = .04, respectively). P53 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry on lymph node biopsies from 37 patients including 18 B-cell lymphomas, 14 ATLL, and 5 other T-cell lymphomas. P53 overexpression (P53-positive) was observed in 6 samples that corresponded in all 6 patients with ATLL. All P53-positive ATLL patients had stage IV disease with elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. By comparison with other ATLL patients studied for p53 expression, P53-positive ATLL were characterized by a lower response rate to combination chemotherapy (CR: 0 of 6 versus 4 of 6; p = .04) and a shorter survival (2 versus 9 months, p = .04). Our results suggest that ATLL represents almost 50% of T-cell lymphomas in Martinique; Ss infection during ATLL seems to be linked with a high response rate to chemotherapy and prolonged survival; and P53 overexpression is observed in almost 50% of aggressive ATLL from Martinique and, even in advanced clinical subtypes, is associated with resistance to chemotherapy and short-term survival.

Human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV) type I and II DNA amplification in HTLV-I/II-seropositive blood donors of the French West Indies.

To confirm the presence of DNA from human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I), HTLV-II, or both in individuals found HTLV-I/II-positive through systematic screening of blood donations in Guadeloupe (French West Indies), 42 blood donors repeatedly positive for HTLV-I/II by ELISA were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Three primer pairs (env, pol, tax) targeted on conserved regions of HTLV-I or -II sequences (or both) and six probes (two generic, two HTLV-I-specific, two HTLV-II-specific) were used in a multiplex PCR. HTLV-I sequences were detected in 31 individuals (74%). All 31 subjects positive by Western blot (WB) harbored HTLV-I sequences. Fifteen individuals (48%) were positive with the three primer pairs used, 10 (32%) with two, and 6 (20%) with one. Subjects indeterminate or negative by WB were all negative by PCR. No HTLV-II sequences were detected with specific probes. The results indicate the absence of HTLV-I and -II infection in individuals with indeterminate WB, the presence of HTLV-I DNA in individuals positive for WB in the French West Indies, and the absence of HTLV-II infection in the cohort.

Quantification of HTLV-1 proviral copy number in peripheral blood of symptomless carriers from the French West Indies.

The development of human T-cell leukemia type 1 (HTLV-1) diseases are related to an increase in the proviral copy number (VCN) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Twenty symptomless anti-HTLV-1-positive blood donors, as well as four symptomatic individuals, all from the French West Indies, were studied. The VCN in PBMCs was determined by quantitative PCR. The VCN values for asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers (range of less than 100 to approximately 9,500/micrograms of DNA) was nearly always less than the values for symptomatic carriers (range of approximately 5,500 to approximately 29,000/micrograms of DNA). Consequently, the proportion of HTLV-1-infected PBMCs in symptomless and in symptomatic individuals ranged from less than 1/1,500 to approximately 1/16 and approximately 1/27 to approximately 1/5, respectively. No correlation could be found between VCN and age or sex, suggesting the importance of factors other than age and sex as influences on the VCN number.