Clinicopathologic Analysis of 12 Cases of Cutaneous Extranodal NK/T-Cell Lymphoma

Abstract Background To investigate the clinical and pathological features of cutaneous extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (CENKTL). Methods Clinical data of 12 patients with CENKTL who were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University between February 2013 and February 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and the patients were followed up. Results The patients included 10 men and two women, and their ages ranged from 19 to 92 years. The lesion distribution was as follows: the extremities, six cases; the nose and face, two cases; the trunk, three cases; and disseminated disease, one case. The patients’ clinical presentation consisted of erythema, papules, nodules, and ulceration. Histopathological examinations showed abnormal proliferation of lymphocytes that had infiltrated the dermis and subcutaneous region. The tumor tissue showed central growth of blood vessels, vascular occlusion, and coagulation necrosis. The tumor cells were mainly of medium size, and nuclear divisions were common. In situ hybridization revealed that Nine patients were positive for Epstein–Barr virus-coding RNA (EBER). Immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor cells were positive for CD3ε (11 patients), CD56 (11 patients), TIA-1 (seven patients), and CD20 (three patients). Eleven patients were positive for Ki-67 with values of 30%-90%. Seven of the 12 patients died, and one patient was lost to follow up. The time from onset to diagnosis was 1–42 months. Conclusion CENKTL is highly invasive, with a short survival period and poor prognosis, and its diagnosis depends on histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and EBER in situ hybridization results.