Background Cutaneous peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTL NOS) is an aggressive, but poorly characterized neoplasm.Objectives The European Organization for Research and... Show moreBackground Cutaneous peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTL NOS) is an aggressive, but poorly characterized neoplasm.Objectives The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer cutaneous lymphoma taskforce (EORTC CLTF) investigated 33 biopsies of 30 patients with primary cutaneous PTL NOS to analyse their clinical, histological, immunophenotypic features and outcome.Methods Retrospective analysis of clinical data and histopathological features by an expert panel.Results Cutaneous PTL NOS manifested clinically either with solitary or disseminated rapidly grown ulcerated tumours or disseminated papulo-nodular lesions. Histologically, a mostly diffuse or nodular infiltrate in the dermis and often extending into the subcutis was found. Epidermotropism was rarely present and only mild and focal. Unusual phenotypes were frequent, e.g. CD3(+)/CD4(-)/CD8(-) and CD3(+)/CD4(+)/CD8(+). Moreover, 18% of the cases exhibited an aberrant expression of the B-cell marker CD20 by the tumour cells. All solitary tumours were located on the limbs and presented a high expression of GATA-3 but this did not correlate with outcome and therefore could not serve as a prognostic factor. The prognosis was shown to be generally poor with 10 of 30 patients (33%) dying of lymphoma within the follow-up of 36 months (mean value; range 3-144). The survival rates were 61% after 3 years (CI, 43-85%) and 54% after 5 years (CI, 36-81%). Small to medium-sized morphology of tumour cells was associated with a better outcome than medium to large or large tumour cells. Age, gender, clinical stage, CD4/CD8 phenotype and GATA-3 expression were not associated with prognosis. Chemotherapy was the most common treatment modality, but surgical excision and/or radiotherapy may represent an appropriate first-line treatment for solitary lesions.Conclusions Cutaneous PTL NOS shows an aggressive course in most patients independent of initial presentation, age and phenotype. Cytomorphology was identified as a prognostic factor. The data indicate a need for more effective treatment modalities in PTL NOS. Show less
Trautinger, F.; Eder, J.; Assaf, C.; Bagot, M.; Cozzio, A.; Dummer, R.; ... ; Knobler, R. 2017
Differentiation between Sezary syndrome and erythrodermic inflammatory dermatoses can be challenging, and a number of studies have attempted to identify characteristic immunophenotypic changes and... Show moreDifferentiation between Sezary syndrome and erythrodermic inflammatory dermatoses can be challenging, and a number of studies have attempted to identify characteristic immunophenotypic changes and molecular biomarkers in Sezary cells that could be useful as additional diagnostic criteria. In this European multicenter study, the sensitivity and specificity of these immunophenotypic and recently proposed but unconfirmed molecular biomarkers in Sezary syndrome were investigated. Peripheral blood CD4(+) T cells from 59 patients with Sezary syndrome and 19 patients with erythrodermic inflammatory dermatoses were analyzed for cell surface proteins by flow cytometry and for copy number alterations and differential gene expression using custom-made quantitative PCR plates. Experiments were performed in duplicate in two independent centers using standard operating procedures with almost identical results. Sezary cells showed MYC gain (40%) and MNT loss (66%); up-regulation of DNM3 (75%), TWIST1 (69%), EPHA4 (66%), and PLS3 (66%); and down-regulation of STAT4 (91%). Loss of CD26 (>= 80% CD4(+) T cells) and/or CD7 (>= 40% CD4(+) T cells) and combination of altered expression of STAT4, TWIST1, and DNM3 or PLS3 could distinguish, respectively, 83% and 98% of patients with Sezary syndrome from patients with erythrodermic inflammatory dermatoses with 100% specificity. These additional diagnostic panels will be useful adjuncts in the differential diagnosis of Sezary syndrome versus erythrodermic inflammatory dermatoses. Show less
Kempf, W.; Pfaltz, K.; Vermeer, M.H.; Cozzio, A.; Ortiz-Romero, P.L.; Bagot, M.; ... ; Willemze, R. 2011
Mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary syndrome (SS), the major forms of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other types of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.... Show moreMycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary syndrome (SS), the major forms of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other types of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Clinical trials in MF/SS have suffered from a lack of standardization in evaluation, staging, assessment, end points, and response criteria. Recently defined criteria for the diagnosis of early MF, guidelines for initial evaluation, and revised staging and classification criteria for MF and SS now offer the potential for uniform staging of patients enrolled in clinical trials for MF/SS. This article presents consensus recommendations for the general conduct of clinical trials of patients with MF/SS as well as methods for standardized assessment of potential disease manifestations in skin, lymph nodes, blood, and visceral organs, and definition of end points and response criteria. These guidelines should facilitate collaboration among investigators and collation of data from sponsor-generated or investigator-initiated clinical trials involving patients with MF or SS. J Clin Oncol 29:2598-2607. (C) 2011 by American Society of Clinical Oncology Show less