About Adult T Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATLL)
Adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a rare type of lymphoid leukemia in which T cells are the abnormal leukemic cells, rather than the B cells found in most lymphoid leukemias. ATLL is thought to be almost exclusively caused by infection with a retrovirus called human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1). ATLL may exist in both acute and chronic forms.  The acute form progresses rapidly and has a poorer prognosis. It also has a smoldering form, in which the disease is more stable than the chronic form, and a lymphoma form, where the lymph nodes are involved to a greater extent than the blood.