Cutaneous accumulation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells associated with acute myeloid leukemia: a rare condition distinct from blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm

A cutaneous infiltrate composed of plasmacytoid dendritic cells may occasionally occur in a patient suffering from a myeloid neoplasm. To date, the clinical and pathological features associated with this event remains poorly characterized. Herein, we report a patient with acute myeloid leukemia who developed pruritic papules or erythematous plaques scattered on the skin. Microscopic examination showed a dermal infiltrate rich in plasmacytoid dendritic cells expressing CD4, CD43, CD68, granzyme B, CD123, CD303 [blood dendritic cell antigen 2 (BDCA-2)], CD2-associated protein (CD2AP) and T-cell leukemia/lymphoma oncogene 1 (TCL1). Our observation illustrates further that cutaneous lesions associated with some myeloid neoplasms, especially those featuring a monocytic component, may be composed of plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Because of differences in clinical, pathological and genetic features, this rare condition should be distinguished from blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm.     

An atypical presentation of a blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumors

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumor is a rare lymphoma, which has been included as an independent entity in the World Health Organization (WHO) 2008 classification for cutaneous lymphomas. This neoplasm usually affects middle‐aged or elderly patients with predominant skin or soft tissues involvement. Although it usually has a good initial response to chemotherapy, relapses are the rule and they occur rapidly. We report a new case of an 81‐year‐old woman with a blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumors with an unusual presentation. López V, Martí N, Ferrández A, Martín JM, Jordá E. An atypical presentation of a blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumors.     

母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤二例

例1,女,24岁,面部淤青色斑块5个月;例2,男,77岁,全身散发结节、斑块5个月,有"银屑病"病史18年。组织病理真皮内均可见弥漫性母细胞样细胞单一性浸润,与表皮有无浸润带形成;免疫组化均示CD123(+)、CD56(+)、CD4(+)、CD3(-)、CD20(-);诊断为母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤。例1于发病第16个月死亡;例2失访。     

Childhood Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm Treated with Allogenic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm is an uncommon malignancy with a high incidence of cutaneous involvement, risk of leukemic dissemination, and poor prognosis. We report a 15‐year‐old boy with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm who was treated with acute myeloid leukemia‐based polychemotherapy and subsequent allogenic stem cell transplantation.     

Primary cutaneous blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm in a child: A challenging diagnosis and management

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and aggressive malignancy of the skin and hematopoietic system. There are few pediatric cases reported in the literature. Management of primary cutaneous BPDCN is challenging because, despite an apparently indolent clinical presentation, rapid dissemination with high mortality can occur. We describe a child with isolated cutaneous involvement who had a good response to chemotherapy as first‐line treatment of BPDCN.     

母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤研究进展

2008年WHO在造血和淋巴系统肿瘤分类中将发生于皮肤,CD56和CD4阳性,并表达CD123,血树突细胞抗原2和4等浆细胞样树突细胞标记的所谓"母细胞性NK细胞淋巴瘤"命名为母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤,认为其起源于浆细胞样树突状细胞,是一种罕见的临床侵袭性淋巴瘤,可发生于各年龄组,多数为中老年男性。临床多有皮肤损害,表现为孤立性、多发性肿块、结节、斑块、红斑,可迅速累及淋巴结、软组织和中枢神经系统,临床过程凶险。组织学有一定特点,确诊依赖对肿瘤细胞的免疫标记。患者最初对化疗可有较好反应,但复发快,复发率高,中位生存时间仅12～14个月。     

CD4+/CD56+ haematodermic neoplasm: a preculsor haematological neoplasm that frequently first presents in the skin

CD4+/CD56+ hematodermic neoplasm, formerly known as blastic NK cell lymphoma, is an aggressive and rare preculsor hematologic neoplasm recently recognized by the WHO-EORTC classification consensus for cutaneous lymphomas. The neoplasm tends to affect elderly patients, who usually present with skin lesions but often have a disseminated disease, including bone marrow involvement. Although the lesions are composed of cells with a lymphoblast-like morphology and an NK-cell phenotype, exhibiting a CD4+, CD56+ positive immunophenotype, recent studies support a relationship to plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Because of the rarity of this disease, we describe two patients suffering a CD4+/CD56+ hematodermic neoplasm.     

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare haematological malignancy that originates from the precursors of plasmacytoid dendritic cells. It commonly presents with findings isolated to the skin although it usually progresses to a leukaemic phase. It has a poor prognosis but is curable, particularly in younger patients treated with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. We report a case of a 79‐year old man who had 6 months of progressive, asymptomatic BPDCN manifestations limited to the skin, before developing a leukaemic phase.     

母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤一例并文献复习

本文报道一女性患者,72岁。全身泛发性红色丘疹半年,进行性加重1个月。皮损病理检查示:真皮浅层有一无细胞带,其下单一性弥漫性淋巴样细胞增生浸润,免疫组化检查示:CD56+、CD123+、CD4(弱+)。诊断为母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤。我们对相关文献进行了复习。     

Bruise-like cutaneous lesions as the early presentation of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a very rare and highly aggressive hematopoietic malignancy associated with a poor prognosis. It has been recognized to originate from precursors of plasmacytoid dendritic cells and has recently been established as a distinct entity. The most frequent clinical presentations are prominent skin lesions, followed by peripheral blood, bone marrow, and other organ involvement. Treatment outcomes are often disappointing due to a high relapse rate after chemotherapy and risk of leukemic dissemination. Herein, we report a case of BPDCN in a 41-year-old man who presented with cutaneous and nasopharyngeal lesions, and achieved a complete response after systemic chemotherapy. Dermatologists should be aware of BPDCN and its clinical presentations, as early diagnosis with appropriate treatment is crucial to improve its prognosis.     

CD4+ CD56+ hematodermic/plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumor with response to pralatrexate

The CD4(+) CD56(+) hematodermic/plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumor is a rare, highly aggressive, systemic neoplasm for which effective therapies have not yet been established. These tumors express CD4, CD56, CD123, and T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (TCL)-1 and are clinically characterized by cutaneous involvement with spread to bone marrow and blood, and poor prognosis with current chemotherapy regimens. We describe a Caucasian woman who presented with plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumor, but an absence of systemic symptoms. Clinically, multiple cutaneous lesions were brown to violaceous firm nodules on the face, arms, and trunk. The patient underwent two courses of cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone chemotherapy but relapsed quickly. The investigational agent, pralatrexate (30 mg/m(2)) was given weekly with vitamin B12 and folic acid and resulted in remarkable clinical response with regression of skin tumors. Our observation highlights pralatrexate as a promising therapeutic option for hematodermic/plasmacytoid dendritic cell lymphoma/leukemias.     

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm presenting as fever with diffuse cutaneous nodules

A young man, presented with high-grade fever and disseminated asymptomatic skin lesions of 6-weeks duration. Cutaneous examination revealed multiple infiltrated monomorphic skin-colored papules and nodules upto 2×2 cm all over scalp, face, trunk and extremities. Light microscopy of nodules showed diffuse infiltration of dermis and subcutis by a tumor composed of medium to large cells with round to ovoid nuclei with fine chromatin, few with visible nucleoli and scanty to moderate amounts of eosinophilic cytoplasm. Tumor cells were positive for CD4, CD8, CD56 and negative for CD30, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase and Alk-1. Excised axillary lymph node showed similar morphologic and immunohistochemical findings. There was bone marrow involvement with infiltrate of large atypical/immature lymphoid cells. Diagnosis of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm was made. This is a rare neoplasm. presenting commonly in the skin, with or without concurrent extracutaneous disease.     

母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤三例临床及病理分析

回顾性分析2014年1月至2019年1月武汉协和医院收治的母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤（BPDCN）3例临床病例特点，并复习相关文献。3例患者 (男2例，女1例) 均以皮肤表现为首发症状，表现为淡红色丘疹、结节、斑块，组织病理均显示真皮及皮下可见弥漫浸润中等大小淋巴样细胞，可见核分裂象，表皮未受累；免疫组化显示CD4，CD56，CD123均阳性。     

Acute myeloid dendritic cell leukaemia with specific cutaneous involvement: a diagnostic challenge

Myeloid or type 1 dendritic cell leukaemia is an exceedingly rare haematopoietic neoplasm characterized by a specific immunophenotypic profile close to plasmacytoid dendritic cell and acute myelogenous leukaemia. A 77-year-old man presenting specific cutaneous infiltration by myeloid dendritic cell leukaemia is reported. The clinical features as well as the cutaneous histopathological and immunohistochemical features led to the initial diagnosis of CD4+/CD56+ haematodermic neoplasm. However, extensive immunophenotypic studies performed from peripheral blood blasts disclosed that leukaemic cells expressed myeloid dendritic cell markers, confirming the diagnosis. The diagnostic difficulties of specific cutaneous involvement by myeloid dendritic cell leukaemia on the basis of routine histopathological and immunohistochemical features are highlighted.     

An Unusual Hematologic Malignancy Derived from Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells

Recently reported cases of CD4+ CD56+ hematologic malignancies with a strong predilection for the skin correspond to the neoplastic counterpart of plasmacytoid dendritic cells. This rare, aggressive malignancy lacks pan‐myeloid and pan‐lymphoid markers and often presents with cutaneous lesions, splenomegaly, and involvement of lymph nodes and bone marrow. It has a poor prognosis, and many patients progress to acute myeloid leukemia. The proposed cellular origin is a CD56+ precursor cell related to plasmacytoid monocytes, which strongly expresses CD123 (IL‐3Ra). We describe a 70 year‐old man who presented with gray‐brown truncal nodules and plaques, lymphadenopathy, and splenomegaly. His bone marrow demonstrated malignant CD4+ CD56+ mononuclear cells. Histologic sections of skin lesions showed an atypical infiltrate extending into the deep reticular dermis. Immunohistochemical staining of these cells for CD4 was diffusely positive. Moreover, the infiltrate strongly expressed CD56 and CD123 but showed only patchy or negative staining for other T and B cell markers. The combination of the patient's clinical presentation and biopsy results best fits the diagnosis of this newly characterized, distinct clinicopathologic entity described in recent literature as agranular CD4+ CD56+ hematodermic neoplasm, plasmacytoid dendritic cell acute leukemia, and tumor‐forming accumulations of plasmacytoid monocytes associated with myeloid disorders.     

Case for diagnosis

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumor is a rare, highly aggressive systemic neoplasm for which effective therapies have not yet been established. We describe a 73-year-old man with multiple nodules and patches emerging on the trunk and limbs. Lesional skin biopsy revealed a plasmacytoid dendritic cell tumor with dense dermal infiltrate of tumor cells with blastoid features. No apparent systemic involvement was identified in the initial stage. The patient was treated with prednisone daily, with notorious improvement of the skin lesions, although no complete remission was obtained. During the six-month follow-up period, no disease progression was documented, but fatal systemic progression occurred after that period of time.     

CD4-/CD56+/CD123+ Hematodermic Neoplasm Showing Early Liver Metastasis

Hematodermic neoplasm (HN) is a clinically aggressive neoplasm with a high incidence of cutaneous involvement and a risk of leukemic dissemination. In the recent WHO-EORTC classification, the term blastic natural killer cell lymphoma has been replaced with CD4+/CD56+ HN because of its derivation from a plasmacytoid dendritic cell precursor. Cases of HN that completely lack CD4 or CD56 expression, therefore represents a diagnostic problem. A 68-year-old Korean male was diagnosed with CD4-/CD56+ HN and treated with hyper-CVAD (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, dexamethasone) at initial treatment, and then switched to high dose methotrexate/cytarabine. His disease relapsed and resulted in death from bone and brain disease 6 months after complete clinical remission, despite diagnostic workups, including a radioisotope liver scan and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy. Further cytogenetic studies such as comparative genomic hybridization could elucidate the genetic mechanisms in the development and progression of lymphomas. We report an unusual case of ''CD4-/CD56+/CD123+ HN'' showing early liver metastasis.     

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm: a report of four cases and review of the literature

Background Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), formerly known as agranular CD4⁺/CD56⁺ haematodermic neoplasm (CD4/CD56 HN), is a rare distinct form of lymphoma‐like entity known of dermatologists because of its marked predilection for cutaneous involvement, and its aggressive behaviour. Moreover, the association or the evolution to an acute leukaemia entity that still expresses CD4 and CD56 markers is almost systematic. This new described entity of ‘CD4⁺/CD56⁺ leukaemia’ or ‘leukaemia of plasmacytoid dendritic cell lineage’ has a poor prognostic and may lead to include haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment strategy as early as possible. Report of cases We report here four cases presenting with skin lesions and haematological signs. One of the patients underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation, with a relapse‐free survival of 40 months. We discuss the diagnosis features as well as the treatment options. Conclusion A collaborative work between dermatologists and onco‐haematologists is essential to give patients the best chance of complete and long‐term response.     

母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤

母细胞性浆细胞样树突细胞肿瘤是一种少见的侵袭性淋巴瘤,2008年正式命名.临床上以皮肤受累为首发症状,表现为挫伤样结节或斑块.该肿瘤易侵犯骨髓及淋巴结,病程凶险,预后差.其肿瘤细胞来源于浆细胞样树突细胞前体细胞,具有独特的免疫表型:CD4、CD56阳性,TdT和CD68部分阳性,还表达浆细胞样树突细胞相关表面标志CD123、TCL1和BDCA-2.但目前其发病机制仍未明确,且无标准治疗方案.     

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm: Analysis of Clinicopathological Feature and Treatment Outcome of Seven Cases

BackgroundBlastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), which is derived from the precursor of plasmacytoid dendritic cells, is a rare and highly aggressive hematologic malignancy. It has only recently been recognized as a distinct entity. BPDCN characteristically has a predilection for cutaneous involvement.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to describe the clinical and pathological features of BPDCN, and to review the treatment courses to analyze the prognosis and the optimal therapeutic approach.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed seven BPDCN cases registered in the Samsung Medical Center database between January 2010 and December 2014.ResultsThe median age of the patients was 52 years (range, 18~79 years), and six patients were male. The clinical staging was as follows: skin (n=5), lymph node (n=6), bone marrow (n=4), and peripheral blood (n=2). The skin manifestations were bruise-like tumefaction (n=4), erythematous nodule (n=4), or multiple erythematous papules (n=1). The pathological evaluation revealed dense diffuse or nodular infiltration of neoplastic cells, which were positive for CD4, CD56, and CD123 in the immunohistochemical analysis. Six patients received multiagent chemotherapy as the first-line treatment, alone (n=4), or followed by stem cell transplantation (SCT, n=1) or concurrent radiotherapy (n=1). The median progression-free survival after the first-line treatment was 6 months (range, 2~12 months).ConclusionThree different skin manifestations were observed, with pathological features analogous to each other. All patients who received chemotherapy without SCT achieved partial or complete response but experienced relapse. Furthermore, they showed various clinical courses irrelevant to the cutaneous involvement.