[HABA (HTLV-I associated bronchiolo-alveolar disorder)]

The presence of antibodies to adult T cell leukemia (ATL) antigen: HTVL-I was studied in patients with chronic interstitial lung diseases such as diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) and idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP). Anti-HTLV-I antibody was detected with a high frequency among these diseases (35% in DPB and 7% in IIP) compared with other diseases and healthy controls. We have termed the clinicopathological condition that includes these two disease categories of interstitial lung disease (DPB or IIP) and hematologic disorder (ATL associated with HTLV-I carrier state) HTLV-I associated bronchiolo-alveolar disorder (HABA). At the same time, HTLV-I related reaction (diffuse pattern for MT-1 and/or MT-2) was found except positive reaction of the antibody (granular pattern for MT-1) by immunofluorescent assay. The incidence of HTLV-I related reaction was high in interstitial lung diseases with a rate of 45% in DPB and 53% in IIP. Thus, the total frequency of presence of antibodies and related reactions was 80% in DPB and 60% in IIP. In lung cancer, the frequency was also high, although it was less than in DPB and IIP. We termed cases of anti-HTLV-I antibody positive lung cancer HTLV-I associated lung cancer (HALC). One typical patient with IIP who initially showed HTLV-I related reaction showed a positive antibody reaction 2 years later. Finally he presented with adenocarcinoma with effusion a further 2 years later. In order to examine HTLV-I proviral DNA integration, southern blotting by PCR was performed in patients with HTLV-I related reaction.2+ suggesting one of the causes of DPB.