A Case of Adult T-Cell Leukemia with Diffuse Panbronchiolitis

Abstract

We have reported an adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) patient with a 3-year history of diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB). The patient, a 62-year-old woman, had been complaining severe cough and purulent sputa for 2 years. In 1984, she was admitted to Saga Medical School, where her clinical diagnosis, DPB, was made. One year later, it was revealed that she suffered from ATL, confirmed by the presence of ATL cells in peripheral blood and anti-ATLA antibody.
This case suggests that ATL may play an important role in the pathogenesis of some DPB patients.