Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2011:2011:824528.
doi: 10.1155/2011/824528. Epub 2011 Mar 3.

An illustrative case of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma

Farshad Bagheri  1 , Kelly L Cervellione, Belkis Delgado, Luis Abrante, Jose Cervantes, Jitendra Patel, Alan Roth
Affiliations
Case Reports

An illustrative case of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma

Farshad Bagheri et al. J Skin Cancer. 2011.

Abstract

Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is a very rare form of skin lymphoma that is localized primarily to the subcutaneous adipose tissue without palpable involvement of the lymph nodes. Diagnosis of SPTCL is a challenge, especially during its early phases when symptoms mimic other, more common conditions, such as benign panniculitis, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis and cellulitis. Clinical and systemic features are nonspecific and can include fever, chills, and weight loss. Further complicating diagnosis is the high number of false negatives provided by biopsy. Here we present a case of SPTCL that illustrates the full course of the disease, from presentation and multiple misdiagnoses to correct disease recognition and successful treatment. A review of the challenges of diagnosis is provided with recommendations for more accurate and timely recognition of SPTCL.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cutaneous lesions on the thigh, which had been present for 8 months with recent worsening in severity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Biopsy of soft tissue from the left thigh revealed: (a) at 10x magnification shows lymphoid infiltrate with pattern resembling lobular and septal panniculitis, and (b) at 40x magnification shows lymphoid infiltrate with abundant cytoplasm. At 100x magnification with oil-immersion biopsy showed (c) atypical lymphoid cells with atypical and irregular nuclei as well as numerous fat cells, (d) numerous single-cell necroses and atypical lymphoid infiltrate, (e) mitotic figure in the center with areas of necrosis and fibrosis, (f) mitotic figure with scattered histiocytes and area of necrosis, and (g) area of necrotic debris.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cutaneous lesions after treatment with five cycles of CHOP chemotherapy (Five months after second admission).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gonzalez CL, Medeiros LJ, Braziel RM, Jaffe ES. T-cell lymphoma involving subcutaneous tissue: a clinicopathologic entity commonly associated with hemophagocytic syndrome. American Journal of Surgical Pathology. 1991;15(1):17–27. - PubMed
    1. Jaffe ES, Harris NL, Stein H, Vardiman JW, editors. Pathology and Genetics of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues. Lyon, France: IARC Press; 2001. (World Health Organization Classification of Tumours).
    1. Willemze R, Jaffe ES, Burg G, et al. WHO-EORTC classification for cutaneous lymphomas. Blood. 2005;105(10):3768–3785. - PubMed
    1. Willemze R, Jansen PM, Cerroni L, et al. Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma: definition, classification, and prognostic factors: an EORTC Cutaneous Lymphoma Group Study of 83 cases. Blood. 2008;111(2):838–845. - PubMed
    1. Takeshita M, Imayama S, Oshiro Y, et al. Clinicopathologic analysis of 22 cases of Subcutaneous panniculitis-like CD56- or CD56+ lymphoma and review of 44 other reported cases. American Journal of Clinical Pathology. 2004;121(3):408–416. - PubMed

Publication types