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It remains unclear whether human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) infection is associated with an increased risk of malignancies other than adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.The authors investigated the geographic distribution of the incidence of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and other malignancies in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, where HTLV-I is endemic. The world age-standardized incidence rates of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and five cancers of other sites were calculated in 15 areas, using the data from the Nagasaki Prefectural Cancer Registry (1985-97).The incidence of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma was found to be positively correlated with that of biliary tract cancer in men (person-years-weighted r = 0.49, P = 0.06) and liver cancer in women (r = 0.56, P = 0.03), but not with cancer of the stomach, lung or cervix uteri.The results may not support the hypothesis that HTLV-I infection is strongly associated with an increased risk of cancer of the stomach, lung or cervix uteri. The association between HTLV-I infection and cancer of the biliary tract and the possible interaction between hepatitis C virus and HTLV-I in the development of liver cancer should be evaluated by prospective cohort studies.

Objective: To compare early outcomes of the minilaparotomy approach to the resection of rectal cancer with those of conventional laparotomy. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University hospital, Japan. Subjects: 18 patients who had complete resection through a minilaparotomy and 20 who had a conventional laparotomy served as the study and the control groups, respectively. Patients who were overweight or morbidly obese (body mass index &#83 25) were excluded from the study. Interventions: Complete resection through a skin incision less than 7 cm in length, or a conventional incision. Main outcome measures: Early postoperative outcomes. Results: Postoperative time intervals to standing, walking, passing flatus, and removal of the urinary catheter, and analgesic requirements were significantly less in the minilaparotomy group ( p = 0.007, p = 0.004, p = 0.02, p = 0.002, and p = 0.05, respectively). Conclusions: The minilaparotomy for complete resection of rectal cancer is less invasive than conventional...