ABSTRACT
We report on a 74-year-old man with a cutaneous B-cell follicle center lymphoma, which was treated upfront with systemic rituximab and suffered several local relapses. The first of the local recurrences, 10 months after completion of treatment, was characterized by a dense T-cell infiltrate that obscured a minor population of B-cell lymphoma cells, suggesting a second primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. This represents a previously not reported diagnostic pitfall and underscores the importance of performing sequential biopsies when dealing with lymphoma recurrences in this setting.
Subject(s)
Lymphoma, B-Cell/diagnosis , Lymphoma, Follicular/diagnosis , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/diagnosis , Skin Neoplasms/diagnosis , T-Lymphocytes/pathology , Aged , Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/therapeutic use , Humans , Lymphoma, B-Cell/drug therapy , Lymphoma, B-Cell/pathology , Lymphoma, Follicular/drug therapy , Lymphoma, Follicular/pathology , Male , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology , Rituximab/therapeutic use , Skin Neoplasms/drug therapy , Skin Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTL) is an uncommon, aggressive peripheral T-cell lymphoma with a dismal prognosis, usually expressing gamma-delta T-cell receptor on immunohistochemical study. We report the second instance in the literature of a solitary skin nodule heralding recurrence of HSTL. The patient was a 40-year-old man in apparent remission from HSTL, 4 years after chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplant. Biopsy of a flank lesion showed atypical lymphoid cells involving the dermis with a perivascular and periadnexal pattern, and fat lobules of the subcutaneous tissue. Their phenotype mirrored that of previous biopsies, with expression of CD2, CD3, CD7, CD56, and T-cell receptor-gamma, and lack of T-cell receptor-beta, CD4, CD5, and CD8. Cutaneous involvement by HSTL has rarely been reported either at initial diagnosis or at recurrence, and represents a diagnostic pitfall for primary cutaneous gamma-delta T-cell lymphoma.