Cutaneous Lymphomas in India: Prospects and Limitations

Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma: A single-center 5-year experience

BACKGROUND

Skin is the second most common site for extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Most primary cutaneous NHLs are of T-cell origin (70%). Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (PCBCL) is a rare entity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients diagnosed with PCBCL between January 2012 and July 2017 at our center were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

Eight patients of PCBCL were diagnosed. Three patients (37.5%) were males while 5 patients (62.5%) were females. The median age at diagnosis was 45 years (range, 18-60 years). Scalp was the most common site of involvement (50% of the patients). Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was the most common histology (63%), with leg-type DLBCL diagnosed in 1 patient. Two patients had primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma, whereas the remaining 1 patient had precursor B-lymphoblastic lymphoma. All 5 DLBCL cases were treated with CHOP chemotherapy, and rituximab was given to 3 patients. Of the primary cutaneous follicle center lymphomas, 1 patient with stage II disease was treated with CHOP and is alive without recurrence for the past 5 years, whereas the other patient is on observation alone. The patient with precursor B-lymphoblastic lymphoma was started on MCP-841 protocol; however, the patient did not complete the treatment and died after 11 months.

CONCLUSIONS

PCBCL is a heterogeneous group of diseases and dividing them into subtypes, based on morphology and immunophenotype, has therapeutic implications.