Clinicopathological study of peripheral T-cell lymphoma among the Japanese.

Postthymic T-cell malignancy shows marked clinicopathologic, and prognostic diversity. The histological findings and clinical behavior of 249 cases of peripheral T-cell lymphoma, morphologically subcassified according to the classification by Suchi et al. (1987), were investigated. These patients comprised 156 men and 73 women with age range 2 to 90 years of age (median 52). They had frequent skin lesions, hyperimmunoglobulinemia, hypercalcemia, and a rapid clinical course. Furthermore, corresponding the differences in the histologic features of each categories were differences in the clinical pictures. Morphological classification based on the classification by Suchi et al. showed prognostic correlation, and there was no significant difference in prognosis between anti-HTLV-I antibody (ATLA)-positive and negative groups of high grade lymphoma.