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Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Skin Biopsy for Diagnosing Discoid Lupus Erythematosus
Published on: June 10, 2025
A Case of Cutaneous B-Cell Lymphoma in Longstanding Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Andrea Zarins1, Douglas Smith2, Simone Fahim3
1Dermatology Division, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada ajzarins@me.com.
Background:
The association between lymphoproliferative malignancies and autoimmune rheumatological diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), remains of great interest. It is known that individuals with immune dysregulation also have an increased risk of lymphoma.
Objective:
To report a case of primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the leg type associated with longstanding SLE, as well as to review the literature for similar cases.
Methods:
A PubMed search was done using the following search terms: lupus and B-cell lymphoma.
Results:
Although several studies show that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is significantly increased in SLE, there is currently no literature reporting specifically on the risk of primary cutaneous lymphomas in patients with SLE.
Conclusion:
Our report highlights the possibility that patients with autoimmune disease are at increased risk of not only the classic forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma but also primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas.
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