[CD56-positive adult T-cell leukemia manifested by abnormal lung shadows]

A 54-year-old woman was admitted to Juntendo Izunagaoka Hospital on Aug. 29, 1998, after experiencing cough and fever for 19 days. Chest X-ray films disclosed infiltrates in the left lung field. The abnormal lung shadows progressed despite antibiotic therapy, and enlargement of superficial lymph nodes and hepatosplenomegaly developed. Peripheral blood examination disclosed cleaved lymphoid cells without granular cytoplasm. Anti-HTLV-I antibody titer was x320, and the monoclonal integration of HTLV-I provirus was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. Surface marker analysis of lymph node cells was positive for CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5, CD56, and HLA-DR. The above results yielded a diagnosis of adult T-cell leukemia. LSG-4 therapy alleviated the lung infiltrations and dyspnea. This case was considered unusual because of the expression of the natural killer cell marker CD56 on leukemic cells and the presentation of abnormal lung shadows possibly due to leukemic cell infiltration.