Diagnostic utility and pitfalls of human T-lymphotropic virus serology in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma: evidence from a 25-year pathology-based nonendemic cohort.

ABSTRACT: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a distinct type of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) driven by human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1)-infected T cells, but diagnosis can be confounded by histological overlap with non-ATLL PTCL. While molecular testing is the diagnostic gold standard in endemic areas, HTLV-1/2 serology is often used as a surrogate in nonendemic settings, yet its accuracy and limitations remain unclear. We retrospectively analyzed 881 PTCL cases over 25 years at two tertiary referral hospitals in Taiwan, where HTLV-1 is nonendemic. Serology was available in 48.2% of cases. Molecular confirmation was performed using HBZ in situ hybridization and tax quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Among the 44 seropositive PTCL patients with tissue available, 37 were diag

SUBMITTER: Yuan CT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12748522 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature