title: Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma: a unique type of low-grade lymphoma. Clinicopathologic and immunologic study of 83 cases.
abstract: The clinical presentation and course, and the morphoimmunologic features of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (CBCL) were investigated in a series of 83 patients. Fifty-one patients were male and 32 were female (male-to-female ratio of 1.6:1); CBCL primarily involved the elderly (median age, 58 years). A locoregional extension of the disease was quite frequent (86.7%). The neoplastic cells showed a range of appearances reminiscent of the whole spectrum of follicular/parafollicular cells. The antigenic phenotype of tumor cells (CD19+, CD20+, CD22+, CD28+, CD10-, CD5-, MB2+, CD74+/-, CDw75+/-, MT2+/-, surface immunoglobulin + monoclonal/-) plus the presence of admixed CD14- dendritic reticulum cells suggest a mantle-zone nature for CBCL. The nonaggressive clinical behavior with a substantial tendency to remain localized to a limited area of the skin, the quite good response to nonaggressive treatment, and the dichotomy existing between the enhancement of morphoimmunologic atypism--which parallels the increasing age and growth rate of lesions--and the constant benign overall prognosis on long-term follow-up make CBCL a unique type of lymphoma of low-grade malignancy. Proper recognition of CBCL is mandatory to avoid possible undertreatment or overtreatment of the patients affected.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Anatomia e Istologia Patologica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santucci
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pimpinelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arganini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD