Karyotypic Evolution in a Patient with a Preleukemic State of Adult T-cell Leukemia (Pre-ATL) progressing to Overt ATL

Karyotypic evolution in a 56-year-old male with a preleukemic state of adult T-cell leukemia (pre-ATL) that progressed to overt ATL is described. The patient was born in the Kagoshima district, an endemic ATL area in Japan. A clone with inv(14)(q11q32) which was not detected in a pre-ATL state appeared during the early phase of overt ATL. These findings suggest that inv(14)(q11q32) may have played an important role in leukemogenesis in the present case. Based on our cytogenetic data obtained from both the pre-ATL and overt ATL phases, a model of the leukemogenic process of ATL is proposed.