title: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm: evolving insights in an aggressive hematopoietic malignancy with a predilection of skin involvement.
abstract: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) derived from precursors of plasmacytoid dendritic cells is a very rare, unique, and highly aggressive immature hematopoietic malignancy, more frequently occurring among healthy elderly adults. BPDCN can be characterized by a striking predilection for cutaneous involvement, which is often detected incidentally by dermatologists and is difficult to clinically distinguish it from other primary skin lesions and histologically from leukemia/lymphoma cutis. Thus, histological diagnosis of cutaneous biopsies is crucial to correctly classify this entity. Most patients eventually progress to acute myeloid leukemia and are generally not curable. Here, we present 2 cases of classic BPDCN and discuss the origin of tumor and literature-based characteristic clinical and morphological features, evolving immunomarkers, and molecular genetic aspects of this neoplasm.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Pathology, St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, New York, NY †Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX ‡Department of Dermatology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX §St. Joseph Dermatopathology, Houston, TX ¶Department of Hematopathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Shweta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gera
authors.forename: Mhair S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dekmezian
authors.forename: Madeleine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duvic
authors.forename: Jaime A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Tschen
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.forename: Jeong Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cho-Vega
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents