Solitary primary cutaneous CD30+large cell lymphoma of natural killer cellphenotype bearing the t(2;5)(p23;q35) translocation and presenting in a child
Jw. Gould et al., Solitary primary cutaneous CD30+large cell lymphoma of natural killer cellphenotype bearing the t(2;5)(p23;q35) translocation and presenting in a child, AM J DERMAT, 22(5), 2000, pp. 422-428
Primary cutaneous CD30+ large cell lymphoma is an unusual tumor most common
ly seen in adults. Most of these lymphomas are of T-cell origin and carry a
good prognosis. We present the case of a 4-year-old girl with stage IEA CD
30+ large cell lymphoma with a CD56+ natural killer cell phenotype and the
t(2;5)(p23;q35) translocation. After excision, the patient has been free of
disease for 44 months. Primary cutaneous CD30+ large cell lymphoma is unco
mmon in children. To our knowledge, primary cutaneous CD30+ natural killer
type lymphoma has not been reported previously. The indolent behavior of th
is tumor indicates its similarity to other primary cutaneous CD30+: large c
ell lymphomas and its difference from other CD56+ lymphomas involving the s
kin, which often exhibit an aggressive clinical course. Cases such as this
one illustrate why the use of a single, or even a few, immunohistochemical
stains can be misleading in regard to lymphoma classification and prognosti
cation.