Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1983. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - Wednesday, May 25, 1983
The researchers said their findings, which were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in San Diego, Calif., may also help reveal the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a potentially deadly breakdown of the body's immune system.
Dr. Bernard Poiesz, an assistant professor at the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, said he and his colleagues have developed a sophisticated method of probing human cells with monoclonal antibodies for evidence of the virus HTLV.
In the process, Poiesz said researchers discovered that many victims of cutaneous T-cell leukemia/lymphoma -- perhaps a majority -- are infected with HTLV. Previously, the presence of the virus in such patients was believed to be rare, he said.
"This is the first time a virus has been associated <with> cancer," said Poiesz.
"This is an enormous finding, but we don't want people to think we're close to coming up with a cure," he stressed.
"Finding a cure to cancer is more complicated than putting a man on the moon," added Dr. Robert Comis, who directed the research.
Poiesz said the Upstate Medical Center team has also isolated HTLV in another type of leukemia, in some patients with AIDs, and certain rheumatologic diseases, indicating the virus or a related virus may be involved in those diseases as well.
In addition, he said the research provides a model for the detection and understanding of previously hard-to-detect viruses and suggests that an infectious agent may be a cause of some types of cancer, as well as AIDS and other related immune deficiency diseases.
The research has been conducted for the last two years has been carried out at the Upstate facility, at the Barbara Kopp Research Program in Auburn and Bristol Laboratories in Syracuse.
The researchers said they isolated HTLV in the blood cells of five patients, bringing to 25 the number identified by researchers throughout the world.
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