title: Cutaneous natural killer/T-cell lymphoma.
abstract: Lymphomas are classified as either Hodgkin's or non-Hodgkin's. The 2 subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that can present primarily in the skin are cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and cutaneous B-cell lymphoma, both of which tend to be low-grade malignant neoplasms. Recently another distinct subtype of lymphoma was discovered, the natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, which can involve the skin in a primary or secondary fashion. The NK/T-cell subtype of lymphoma is characterized by the expression of the NK-cell antigen CD56. These CD56(+) lymphomas are further subdivided into nasal NK/T-cell lymphomas that commonly present as midfacial destructive disease and non-nasal NK/T-cell lymphomas that often arise in extranodal locations, including the skin. We report a case of aggressive NK-cell leukemia/lymphoma with numerous secondary cutaneous lesions and review the clinical and histopathologic spectrum of non-nasal CD56(+) lymphomas, with an emphasis on the dermatologic findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Yale Dermatopathology Laboratory, Yale University School of Medicine, 15 York Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8059, USA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Radonich
authors.forename: Rossitza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lazova
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bolognia
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000473:pathology*; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D019002:CD56 Antigen