Cutaneous extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma: a clinicopathologic study of 5 patients with array-based comparative genomic hybridization.
Extranodal natural killer/T-cell (ENK/T) lymphoma is a rare neoplasm, subcategorized into ENK/T-nasal (ENK/T-N) and ENK/T-nasal type (ENK/T-NT) lymphomas. ENK/T-NT lymphoma with initial presentation in the skin is known as primary cutaneous ENK/T-NT (PC-ENK/T-NT) lymphoma. The aim of this study was to investigate pathogenesis, genomic alterations, and prognosis of cutaneous ENK/T lymphomas to provide further insights into clinicopathologic features and genetic mechanism of lymphomagenesis. A retrospective case study of 5 white patients affected by ENK/T lymphoma (4 PC-ENK/T-NT and 1 ENK/T-N with cutaneous involvement) was performed. Most of the cases presented with multiple nodules and ulcerations localized on the extremities. A considerable percentage had disease in advanced stage with a 12-month survival rate of 40%. Genomic alterations were detected by array-based comparative genomic hybridization that showed gains of 1q, 7q and loss of 17p in the cases of PC-ENK/T-NT lymphomas and gain of 7q and loss of 9p, 12p, 12q in the case of ENK/T-N lymphoma. In conclusion, ENK/T lymphoma is a very aggressive entity, and, in our cases, the exclusively cutaneous presentation was not associated with a better prognosis. The results of our array comparative genomic hybridization analysis could be useful to better define the different ENK/T lymphoma subgroups with cutaneous involvement.
Berti
Emilio
E
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, via Pace 9, Milan, Italy.
Recalcati
Sebastiano
S
Girgenti
Valentina
V
Fanoni
Daniele
D
Venegoni
Luigia
L
Vezzoli
Pamela
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055028:Comparative Genomic Hybridization; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016410:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents