Cutaneous Lymphomas (CL) can be primary or secondary in origin. Hodgkin Lymphoma of the skin is extremely rare so nearly all of cutaneous lymphomas are of the non-Hodgkin type. CL may be primary or secondary: Primary lymphomas are those that occur in the skin (origin) where as secondary lymphomas are a result of metastasis from non-cutaneous origins, such as lymph nodes or other organ systems and therefore should be categorized as node-based lymphomas with skin involvement. For many years classification of lymphomas was based on histologic appearance which has major short-comings when applied to extranodal lymphomas…it does not predict clinical behavior. Modern classification schemes of lymphomas rely on detailed cell surface markers (CD).
Cutaneous lymphomas are classified based on their cell type. The two major groupings are B-cell lymphomas and T-cell lymphomas. The most common type of primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is referred to as Mycosis Fungoides. I will be doing a separate blog post on Mycosis Fungoides. To review recent classification of primary cutaneous lymphomas by the WHO click HERE.
Metastasis of lymphoma to the skin is not uncommon. It can be the initial presentation in some patients. In this post I will be focusing on B-cell lymphomas and metastatic lymphoma to the skin.
Cutaneous lymphomas often are plumb colored or purple in color. Detection of any of these types of lesions should automatically bring into consideration of the possibility of lymphoma (primary or secondary), lichen planus, pseudo lymphoma (Jessner lymphocytic infiltrate), lymphoid hyperplasia or lymphomatoid papulosis.
There are over 70 types of lymphoma and many subtypes based on cell marker studies. Determination of lymphoma types is important, providing a more accurate determination of prognosis and determining the type of therapeutic intervention that will be provided. Reviewing the histology and prognosis is beyond the scope of this blog post, being highly technical and, obviously, with over 70 types, would be quite verbose.
If you want to read more about Cutaneous Lymphomas click HERE, HERE and HERE.
My daughter Londyn Samlaska is a Student Visionary for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Starting January 19th and going through to March 9th, 2023, I would be very grateful if you would be able to contribute to her campaign to raise money for research. I would be so thankful if you would be willing to contribute for this wonderful charity. One of the components of the competition is to receive a donation from every state in the nation! That would be fabulous! Thank you all for helping with this…and I will continue to publish these blog posts…
To donate, please click on this LINK.