Background: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS), are a rare condition characterised by specific histology, nodal presentation, and a poor prognosis. In total, 10-18% of patients present with cutaneous involvement which is regarded as a poor prognostic marker. However, cutaneous PTCL-NOS lesions have been rarely reported in the literature.
Objectives: We sought to describe PTCL-NOS cases characterised by erythrodermic dissemination to the skin.
Materials & methods: Three cases of PTCL-NOS were investigated; all male, with a mean and median age of 55 and 51 years, respectively.
Results: All patients underwent aggressive chemotherapeutic protocols with only transient improvement of the disease, and died within two years of follow-up.
Conclusion: Dermatologists should be reminded that erythroderma and lymph node enlargement do not represent an exclusive paradigm for erythrodermic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and that these features can be due to a systemic lymphoma that should be considered in the differential diagnosis.
Keywords: PTCL-NOS; erythroderma; lymph node enlargement; peripheral T-cell lymphomas not otherwise specified; systemic lymphoma.