Clinical, histopathologic, and immunohistochemical correlations in leukemia cutis

Abstract

Specific (leukemia cutis) and nonspecific (reactive or secondary) skin lesions are associated with systemic leukemia. The following categories of leukemia cutis are discussed in this article: myelogenous (granulocytic) leukemia, monocytic leukemia, myelomonocytic leukemia, lymphocytic and lymphoblastic leukemia, hairy cell leukemia, and adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. The temporal relationship between the diagnoses of systemic leukemia and leukemia cutis, the course, and the prognosis are also discussed. Other sites of extramedullary involvement are correlated with leukemia cutis. The appearance of specific skin lesions in leukemia is usually associated with a very poor prognosis.