Our data support the idea that this disorder represents a reactive process. The modified term 'papular angiolymphoid hyperplasia' would define this disorder more appropriately.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated T/natural killer (NK) cell lymphoma mainly shows nasal lesions, and has recently been shown to be associated with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). The detailed features of CTCL nasal metastasis have yet to be elucidated. We report clinicopathological findings for four cases of cutaneous T/NK cell lymphoma with metastasis to the nose. The four patients presented progressive involvement of nasal lesions of CTCL, an aggressive course and poor outcome. Their pathological and immunohistological findings were consistent with peripheral T/NK cell neoplasm and, in three of four cases, EBER-1 were apparently detected in lymphoma cells by in situ hybridization, and two of four cases were also positive for TIA-1. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results showed the identical band from the skin and nasal lesions of the two patients. We also reviewed the cases of similar clinical course and attempted to elucidate clinical, pathological, immunological and genotypic features. The 10 reported cutaneous T/NK cell lymphomas with nasal metastasis revealed a poor prognosis (nine of 10 died at 3-108 months). Six cases of nine showed a positive reaction to EBV, and six cases revealed T-cell receptor beta or -gamma rearrangement. These findings suggest that most cutaneous T/NK cell lymphoma with nasal metastasis are similar to nasal T-cell lymphoma associated with EBV infection. This type of cutaneous T/NK cell lymphoma likely to involve nasal lesions and skin cases seemed to have a poor prognosis.

We studied three cases of genital lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) using histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural techniques to elucidate the characteristics of the collagen fibres, the elastic fibres and the interfilamentous matrix in the upper dermal homogeneous zone. In the early stages of LSA, the homogeneous zone caused elaunin fibres to push downwards and partially disappear, the collagen fibres were presumably phagocytosed by fibroblasts, and there were peculiar cells containing numerous vacuoles in the cytoplasm. In the advanced stages of LSA, the homogeneous zones showed newly formed collagen fibres and amorphous, dispersed, medium electron-dense substances that were probably composed of elastin or elastin-like substances and microfilaments originating from the collagen fibres. Immunohistochemically, there were numerous anti-aortic alpha-elastin-positive substances, but there was no positivity for anti-amyloid P component. These findings suggest that in advanced LSA a hybrid substance (elastocollagenous mass) between collagen fibres and elastic fibres may be formed in the homogeneous zone.

We report a 62-year-old woman with acquired tufted angioma. Several scattered reddish nodules were present on the neck and upper chest. During a follow-up period of 6 months, some of the lesions showed transient spontaneous regression and one disappeared completely. Electron microscopy revealed that a few tumour cells contained Weibel-Palade bodies in their cytoplasm.

Primary cutaneous meningioma (PCM) is a rare tumor whose pathogenesis is quite obscure. We reported PCMs occurring on almost the same occipital region of two siblings studied by histology, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy. Both lesions were attached to duras, but extracranial. One lesion was histologically diagnosed as meningothelial meningioma; its tumor cells showed electron microscopically interdigitating cytoplasmic processes with junctional complexes. The other was interpreted as fibroblastic meningioma; its tumor cells were arranged linearly in a stepping-stone arrangement and had small dense bodies in the cytoplasm. The tumor cells stained positively with anti-vimentin antibody. Both lesions had adenomatous hyperplasia of the eccrine glands. Although the histologic and electron microscopic features of these two lesions slightly differed from each other, their pathogenesis was essentially considered to be acoelic or rudimentary meningocele.