title: A case of CD30+ nasal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma.
abstract: Extranodal nasal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma is a very rare lymphoma characterized by strong association with Epstein-Barr virus infection, very aggressive clinical behavior, and poor prognosis. The typical phenotype of neoplastic natural killer cells in this entity is as follows: CD2+, CD56+, surface CD3-, cytoplasmic CD3epsilon+, and cytotoxic granule-associated protein positive. CD30 expression, a phenotype characteristic of anaplastic large-cell lymphomas, is not a typical feature of nasal NK/T-cell lymphomas. We describe the case of a 42-year-old woman with chronic nasal congestion and septal deviation who presented with progressive generalized tender erythematous plaques. A skin biopsy revealed an atypical angiocentric mononuclear cell infiltrate. Strong CD30 and CD3e immunoreactivities were noted in large atypical mononuclear cells within the infiltrate initially suggestive of a CD30+ T-cell lymphoma. However, flow cytometry of the skin lesion indicated that the cells were CD2+, CD4-, CD8-, and lacked surface CD3 more typical of a neoplasm of natural killer cells. Further studies revealed that the cells were CD56+, T-cell-restricted intracellular antigen-1+, and contained Epstein-Barr virus sequences consistent with a nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma. High titers of Epstein-Barr virus in the blood, evidence of sinonasal disease, and absence of a T-cell receptor gene rearrangement were additional features consistent with the diagnosis. The patient had a very aggressive clinical course and, despite combination chemotherapy, died 8 months after the onset of skin lesions. This case represents an example of nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma with expression of CD30. When presenting in the skin, the phenotypic and morphologic features of this lymphoma may lead to an erroneous diagnosis of a CD30+ large-T-cell lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Katalin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ferenczi
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Summers
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aubert
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meyerson
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Kord
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D017730:Ki-1 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D017728:Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D017730:Ki-1 Antigen