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Abstract

Title: A study of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma incidence in central Brooklyn.
Author: Levine PH, Dosik H, Joseph EM, Felton S, Bertoni MA, Cervantes J, Moulana V, Miotti AB, Goberdhan LJ, Lee SL, Daouad A, DaCosta M, Jaffe ES, Axiotis CA, Cleghorn FR, Kahn A, Welles SL
Journal: Int J Cancer 80(5):662-666
Year: 1999
Month: March

Abstract: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), a rare outcome of infection with human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV-I), is endemic in central Brooklyn, which has a large Caribbean migrant population. Previous studies have suggested that HTLV-I prevalence in central Brooklyn may be similar to that recorded in the Caribbean islands. We established a pilot 1-year surveillance program to identify cases of ATL in 7 of 10 hospitals serving the residents of 18 zip codes of central Brooklyn with a combined population of 1,184,670. Of the 6,198 in-patient beds in the catchment area, approximately 83% were covered. Twelve incident cases of ATL were ascertained, all among persons of Afro-Caribbean descent, indicating an annual incidence in African-Americans in this community of approximately 3.2/100,000 person-years. Unexplained hypercalcemia was the most useful screening method, identifying 3 of 5 patients not referred for possible ATL by a local hematologist. The female:male ratio was 3:1. The age pattern was different from that reported in the Caribbean Basin and closer to the pattern seen in Japan. Our study supports evidence that HTLV-I infection and ATL are endemic in central Brooklyn and suggests that a more intensive surveillance program for this disease coupled with intervention efforts to reduce HTLV-I transmission are warranted.