Lymphomatoid Papulosis Associated with Cutaneous T-Cell Signet Ring Lymphoma

Abstract

The authors describe a new case of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma of signet ring cell type with CD-30 (Ki-t) expression. The patient was a 52-year-old woman with a 20-year history of recurrent papulonodular lesions characteristic of lymphomatoid papulosis (LP). Subsequent to developing the signet ring cell lymphoma (SRL) the patient's cutaneous lesions did not resolve as previously, and a skin biopsy showed a diffuse proliferation of atypical lymphoid cells with cytoplasmic vacuoles. SRL was first reported in 1985 by Weiss, and a literature search found only six further reports since then. Vaillant suggests that the peculiar morphology is retated to the special indolent course of this condition and that the cutaneous form should be considered a distinct entity. This is the first report of a patient with LP who subsequently developed a cutaneouis T-cell signet ring lymphoma with CD-30 antigen expression. The case could be an example of a so-called borderline lymphoma.