P. Heller et al., CHRONIC ACTINIC DERMATITIS - AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY OF ITS T-CELL ANTIGENIC PROFILE, WITH COMPARISON TO CUTANEOUS T-CELL LYMPHOMA, The American journal of dermatopathology, 16(5), 1994, pp. 510-516
Chronic actinic dermatitis (CAD) describes a persistent photosensitivi
ty disorder in the absence of continued exposure to photosensitizers;
it is characterized by a T-cell infiltrate within the epidermis and de
rmis. The purpose of this study was to characterize the T-cell infiltr
ate better immunohistochemically. Serial cryostat sections of fresh-fr
ozen punch biopsy specimens of skin were analyzed in 11 patients with
CAD and 3 patients with erythrodermic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL)
. Monoclonal antibodies against the pan T-cell, pan B-cell, and T-cell
subsets and the T cell-receptor (TCR) antigens were used. CD8-positiv
e (T-suppressor-cytotoxic) cells were predominant in the epidermis of
CAD, while CD4-positive (T-helper) cells were predominant in the epide
rmis and dermis of CTCL. CDw29-positive (T-memory) cells were predomin
ant in all cases. The number of BF1 (beta-chain constant region of the
TCR)-positive cells approximated the number of CD3-positive cells in
all CAD cases but was significantly lower than the number of CD3-posit
ive cells in two of three cases of CTCL. There was no clustering or pr
eferential staining with any of the beta-chain variable-region antibod
ies in any of the specimens. These results indicate that CAD has a cha
racteristic immunophenotype distinct from that of most cases of CTCL a
nd that discordance between BF1 and CD3 expressions did not occur in t
he CAD cases.