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Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas: recent advances in diagnosis and management
Lubomir Sokol1, Mojdeh Naghashpour, L Frank Glass
1Department of Malignant Hematology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. Lubomir.Sokol@moffitt.org
Insights
Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (PCBCL) is a rare skin cancer. This review details diagnosis, staging, and treatment for common PCBCL types, improving patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Dermatology
- Oncology
Background:
- Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (PCBCL) represents a diverse group of rare B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders.
- PCBCL exhibits distinct clinicopathologic characteristics compared to nodal B-cell lymphomas.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the literature on primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma.
- To analyze diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for common PCBCL subtypes.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of MEDLINE database.
- Analysis of laboratory and clinical data.
- Focus on primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma (PCMZL), primary cutaneous follicle-center lymphoma (PCFCL), and primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type (PCDLBCL, LT).
Main Results:
- Accurate diagnosis relies on skin biopsies, immunohistochemistry, and molecular clonality.
- Low-grade PCMZL and PCFCL have >95% 5-year survival; T1/T2 treated with surgery/radiation, T3 with rituximab.
- Intermediate-grade PCDLBCL, LT has ~50% 5-year survival; requires anthracycline-based chemotherapy with rituximab.
Conclusions:
- Significant advancements in PCBCL understanding, classification, staging, and prognosis.
- Therapies adapted from systemic lymphomas show promise despite lack of prospective studies.
Background:
Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma (PCBCL) is a heterogeneous group of rare clonal B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders with distinct clinicopathologic features from more common nodal B-cell lymphomas.
Methods:
We performed a systematic review of the relevant literature in the MEDLINE database and analyzed laboratory and clinical data. This review discusses the three most common types of PCBCL: primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma (PCMZL), primary cutaneous follicle-center lymphoma (PCFCL), and primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type (PCDLBCL, LT).
Results:
Skin biopsies with histology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular clonality studies are essential for a correct diagnosis of cutaneous B-cell lymphoma. Comprehensive lymphoma staging with laboratory and imaging studies and bone marrow aspiration and biopsy are important for determining the prognosis and differentiation of PCBCL from secondary skin involvement with systemic B-cell lymphomas. PCMZL and PCFCL are low-grade PCBCLs, with an estimated 5-year disease-specific survival rate of greater than 95%. Surgical excision or focal radiation therapy is sufficient to control stages T1 and T2 disease. Rituximab monotherapy is frequently used for patients with stage T3 disease. PCDLBCL, LT is an intermediate-grade B-cell lymphoma, with a 5-year disease-specific survival rate of approximately 50%. An anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimen with rituximab is usually required as initial therapy to improve outcomes.
Conclusions:
In less than a decade, significant progress has been made in our understanding of PCBCL. Novel classification, staging, and prognostic systems have resulted in more accurate diagnosis and prognosis. Although no randomized prospective studies have been conducted in PCBCL, therapies derived from systemic B-cell lymphomas have shown promising results.
