Some Clinical Aspects of Adult T-cell Leukemia-Lymphoma (ATLL)

(2) Hypercalcemia Associated with Adult T-cell Leukemia (ATL)

Abstract

1. Out of 162 malignant lymphoma cases examined for T and B cell surface markers, hypercalcemia was demonstrated in 46 cases (54.8%) out of the 84 ATL, 19 case (34.0%) out of the 56 T-cell lymphomas and 2 cases (9.1%) out of the 22 B-cell lymphomas, respectively.
2. There were no significant differences in leukocyte counts, serum LDH levels, histologic subtypes at admission and duration of survival between the ATL-patients with and without hypercalcemia.
3. However, when the courses of individual cases were followed, serum calcium levels tended to be elevated as the disease progressed.
4. Morphologic examinations of bone marrow samples from 18 out of 23 hypercalcemic patients with ATL showed numerous osteoclasts on bone resorbing surfaces adjacent to areas of ATL-cell infiltration.
Leukemic infiltration to the bone marrow appeared to cause the osteoclast proliferation and the concomitant hypercalcemia.