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Nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma: epidemiology and pathogenesis

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Abstract

Nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is an uncommon disease, but usually shows a highly aggressive clinical course. The disease is much more frequent in Asian and Latin American countries than in Western countries, and is universally associated with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. Analyses of gene mutations, especially p53 and c-KIT, revealed the different frequencies by district. Epidemiological studies revealed the changes of the disease frequency in Korea during the period from 1977–1989 to 1990–1996. Case-control study showed that the exposure to pesticides and chemical solvents could be causative of NKTCL. Further studies including HLA antigen typing of patients is necessary to further clarify the disease mechanism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology (C3), Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Katsuyuki Aozasa & Tetsuya Takakuwa

  2. Department of Radiation Biology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan

    Tadashi Hongyo

  3. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea

    Woo-Ick Yang

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  1. Katsuyuki Aozasa
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  2. Tetsuya Takakuwa
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  3. Tadashi Hongyo
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  4. Woo-Ick Yang
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Correspondence to Katsuyuki Aozasa.

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This study was supported in part by grants (1639015, 18014015) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.

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Aozasa, K., Takakuwa, T., Hongyo, T. et al. Nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma: epidemiology and pathogenesis. Int J Hematol 87, 110–117 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-008-0021-7

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