adult T-cell leukemia
noun
variants
or adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma
: a lymphoproliferative disease that is characterized by high counts of malignant T cells, skin lesions, hypercalcemia, and enlargement of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes and that is associated with the retrovirus HTLV-I
Only about 3 percent of HTLV-1 carriers will go on to develop adult T-cell leukemia, which has no effective treatment or cure.—
The Connecticut Post, 2 Apr.
The Connecticut Post, 2 Apr.Note: Adult T-cell leukemia has four subtypes: an acute subtype in which symptoms develop rapidly; a chronic subtype with a slower-developing, prolonged clinical course; a lymphomatous subtype in which malignancy is found only in the lymph nodes; and a smouldering subtype which develops slowly and has mild symptoms but may transform into a rapidly progressing disease.
—abbreviation ATLCite this Entry
“Adult T-cell leukemia.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/adult%20T-cell%20leukemia. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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