Upper respiratory tract involvement in adult T-cell leukemia

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is characterized by peripheral lymph node enlargement, hepatosplenomegaly and skin lesions. The association of local mass lesions of other organs with ATL is extremely rare. This report describes a 57-year-old woman with chronic type ATL with associated local tumor masses in the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses and larynx as well as skin infiltration. Histologic investigation of the skin lesion and nasal mucosa revealed non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse, mixed type. Her chief complaints were progressive dyspnea and hoarseness. Leukemic cell masses in her upper respiratory tract caused narrowing of the airway, which was responsible for her complaints.