An Aggressive Primary Cutaneous Follicle Center Lymphoma With c-MYC Translocation and CDKN2A (9p21) Deletion: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Am J Dermatopathol. 2017 Mar;39(3):e44-e49. doi: 10.1097/DAD.0000000000000738.

Abstract

Diffuse large cell B-cell lymphoma of the skin is most commonly represented by diffuse large cell variants of primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma and the leg-type lymphoma. In a minority of cases, the infiltrates are an expression of stage 4 disease of established extracutaneous B-cell lymphoma. We describe 1 female patient 85 years of age with an aggressive form of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma manifesting in multiple firm erythematous indurated solid nodules 1-2 cm each symmetrically on the face periorbitally and on the upper extremities bilaterally. The tumor was a de novo presentation of this aggressive form of lymphoma. The disease demonstrated an aggressive course with only transient improvement of skin lesions after chemotherapy. Punch biopsy taken from a left arm skin lesion showed a diffuse and nodular large cell lymphocytic infiltrate in the 15-20 μm range exhibiting round to oval nuclei and prominent eosinophilic nucleoli. Phenotypically, the tumor cells were CD10, Bcl-2, Bcl-6, and CD43 positive with a residuum of a follicular dendritic cell network revealed by CD21 staining. There was c-MYC rearrangement and CDKN2A deletion in this sample. The importance in reporting this case is to emphasize that in the context of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma, the 9p21 deletion while characteristic of the leg-type lymphoma is not a unique signature of the leg-type lymphoma and is not exclusionary to lymphomas falling under the designation of follicle center lymphoma. As with the leg-type lymphoma, however, this cytogenetic abnormality is a critical determinant to a more aggressive clinical course.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Female
  • Genes, myc / genetics*
  • Genes, p16*
  • Humans
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
  • Lymphoma, Follicular / genetics
  • Lymphoma, Follicular / pathology
  • Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / genetics*
  • Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / pathology*
  • Sequence Deletion
  • Skin Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Translocation, Genetic