Skin Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Skin Cancer, including details on identification, causes, prevention, treatment.

Primary CD20+CD10+CD8+ T-cell lymphoma of the skin with IgH and TCR beta gene rearrangement.

Magro CM, Seilstad KH, Procu P, Morrison CD

Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.

Most cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are derived from mature postthymic T cells of the CD4 subtype. When other less common profiles are encountered, a diagnostic challenge is posed. Accurate categorization is critical because of the specificity of therapeutic regimens, including biologics. A 65-year-old woman was seen in 2001 because of a thigh mass manifesting an unusual phenotype eventually categorized as a mature postthymic CD8+ T-cell lymphoma with CD10 and weak CD20 expression. Molecular studies revealed T-cell receptor and heavy chain immunoglobulin rearrangement. Her cutaneous disease progressed despite several cycles of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. However, a therapeutic trial with denileukin diftitox resulted in a striking response. The importance of this case lies in the novel phenotype and dual T- and B-cell rearrangements. Rather than representing an aberrant phenotype, this tumor may represent the malignant counterpart of a benign population of weakly CD20+ T cells of the CD8 subset.

Published 6 June 2006 in Am J Clin Pathol, 126(1): 14-22.
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