[Human T-cell leukemia (lymphoma) virus (HTLV-I) antibodies in Danish patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma].

HTLV-I antibodies were found in 10 out of 68 patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (14%). HTLV antibodies were found in the earliest pre-diagnostic stage [Mycosis fungoides I (MF I), histologically non-diagnostic] as well as in the later stages (MF-III), where tumour cells are histologically apparent and the skin lesions have progressed from the plaque stage to the tumour stage. Of 4 patients with lymphomatoid papulosis, only 1 had positive HTLV antibody sera. Sequential studies of 6 patients demonstrated that the presence of HTLV-I antibodies was independent of the clinical remission - relapse stages in these patients. The present results show that HTLV-I or a related virus is found in Denmark and probably more widely distributed than was previously thought.