Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma: an association of chronic hepatitis C infection

Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma is a low-grade malignancy, distinct from other lymphomas in terms of biological activity and response to treatment. We describe a 77-year-old woman with a five-year history of chronic hepatitis C infection who developed a lower-limb lesion over a period of 3 months which was diagnosed as a high-grade cutaneous B-cell lymphoma. Despite a lack of definitive evidence implicating hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the aetiology of lymphomas, there is considerable research which establishes a strong association between these two diseases. On the basis of published research and the demonstration of HCV RNA in the lymphomatous tissue, we consider this to be a rare case of primary cutaneous lymphoma in association with hepatitis C.