Development of Adult T-cell Leukemia in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Tocilizumab

Hideki Nakamura; Yukitaka Ueki; Shigeki Saito; Yoshiro Horai; Takahisa Suzuki; Tomoki Naoe; Katsumi Eguchi; Atsushi Kawakami

doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.52.0468

CASE REPORTS

Development of Adult T-cell Leukemia in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Tocilizumab

Hideki Nakamura, Yukitaka Ueki, Shigeki Saito, Yoshiro Horai, Takahisa Suzuki, Tomoki Naoe, Katsumi Eguchi, Atsushi Kawakami

Author information

Hideki Nakamura
Unit of Translational Medicine, Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan
Yukitaka Ueki
Rheumatic and Collagen Disease Center, Sasebo Chuo Hospital, Japan
Shigeki Saito
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Yoshiro Horai
Unit of Translational Medicine, Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan
Takahisa Suzuki
Unit of Translational Medicine, Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan
Tomoki Naoe
Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan
Katsumi Eguchi
Department of Internal Medicine, Sasebo City General Hospital, Japan
Atsushi Kawakami
Unit of Translational Medicine, Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan

Keywords: adult T-cell leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, tocilizumab

JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2013 Volume 52 Issue 17 Pages 1983-1986

DOI https://doi.org/10.2169/internalmedicine.52.0468

Details

Abstract

Tocilizumab (TCZ) was administered from 2004 to 2008 in a 52-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) refractory to methotrexate (MTX) as a clinical trial. TCZ therapy with MTX was resumed in March 2009 due to exacerbation of RA. The patient was an human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) carrier, and, in April 2011, a peripheral blood smear showed many atypical lymphocytes, thus leading to a diagnosis of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). Complete remission of ATL was achieved with a standard therapeutic regimen.

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