We report a unique case of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus (HHV)8-associated lymphoma in a 56-year-old man with a history of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Castleman's disease, KS, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Three months following the diagnosis of KS affecting a left cervical lymph node and Castleman's disease with bone marrow involvement, he presented with a subcutaneous, tender lesion on his left arm. A skin biopsy demonstrated a superficial and deep, interstitial-nodular infiltrate of severely atypical lymphoid cells showing plasmacytoid features, numerous mitotic figures, and frequent individual apoptotic tumor cells. The morphologic features were those of plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL). Immunohistochemical study showed that the lymphoma cells strongly expressed CD45, CD30, and KSHV/HHV8 latency-associated nuclear antigen. KSHV/HHV8 was also detected in the biopsy sections of the patient's KS and Castleman's disease. Epstein-Barr virus in situ hybridization was diffusely positive. In situ hybridization demonstrated kappa-light chain restriction. Although KSHV/HHV8 has been individually associated with KS, Castleman's disease, and PBL, this appears to be the first reported case in which all three entities were present simultaneously in one person, suggesting a critical role of KSHV/HHV8 as a common denominator in the pathogenesis of these diseases.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in the United States and the second greatest cause of cancer-related death. Metastases usually occur to bone followed by distant lymph nodes and then viscera. Cutaneous metastases are extremely rare. Their presence indicates advanced disease and a poor prognosis. As they are highly variable in appearance and may mimic a more benign process, biopsy is essential for identification. Serine proteases, particularly human tissue kallikreins, may play an important role in promoting metastasis and facilitate infiltration of the skin. Individual cancer genetics may predispose to more aggressive cancer and thus earlier and more distant metastases. In this article, we report our case of a 67-year-old man with a 4-year history of castrate-resistant prostate cancer with cutaneous metastases confirmed by histology. Despite multiple lines of systemic therapy, the patient suffered progressive disease with worsening performance status and was enrolled in hospice.
Lymphomatoid papulosis (LyP) is a cutaneous CD30þ lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by recurrent papulonecrotic or papulonodular lesions with histologic features of a malignant lymphoma and an excellent prognosis. Three morphologic types (A, B, and C) of LyP exist and typically display an immunophenotype of CD4þ, CD8À, and CD30þ. We present a case of a 63-year-old woman with a one-year history of relapsing papulonecrotic skin eruptions. Biopsy of a lesion on the forearm showed a superficial and deep dermal wedge-shaped infiltrate with large lymphoid cells (Type A LyP). A lesion on the abdomen showed a band-like superficial dermal infiltrate composed of small lymphoid cells with extensive epidermotropism and cerebriform nuclei (Type B LyP). Lastly, a lesion on the buttock histologically showed a dense, diffuse dermal infiltrate composed of a mixture of small and large lymphoid cells (Type C LyP). In all three lesions, the atypical lymphocytes were immunoreactive to CD8 and CD30 and nonreactive to CD4. CD8 positive cases of LyP are rare in the literature and tend to occur in pediatric patients. Moreover, while approximately 10% of patients may present with lesions of both the type A and type B types, cases showing all three types of LyP are exceedingly rare.
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