Cutaneous B cell lymphomas: Report of two interesting cases

Indian J Dermatol. 2015 Mar-Apr;60(2):176-8. doi: 10.4103/0019-5154.152521.

Abstract

Cutaneous B cell lymphomas can arise primarily from the skin or may occur due to secondary spread from nodal lymphomas. Primary lymphomas are confined to the skin without systemic spread and they differ from secondary lymphomas in their clinical behavior, treatment and prognosis. Cutaneous lymphomas being relatively rare, lack of precise definition and understanding of their clinical behavior diseases leads to pitfalls in the diagnosis. We report two cases of cutaneous B cell lymphomas who presented with fever of unknown origin initially and later found to have skin lesions. Hence, skin can be a potential diagnostic clue in the evaluation of patients with fever of unknown origin. The distinctions between the primary and the secondary lymphomas become important in choosing the treatment and assessing the prognosis.

Keywords: Cutaneous B cell lymphomas; diffuse large B cell lymphoma; fever of unknown origin.