Non epidermotropic cutaneous lymphoma ending in leukemia. A case of adult T cell lymphoma (ATL) in France?

A case of uncommon non Hodgkin malignant lymphoma with initial skin involvement is reported. The pathological pattern does not come under standard classifications. An aspect of non epidermotropic diffuse pleomorphic lymphoma is observed. In an immunological cell membrane study, the T-cell lineage of the malignant proliferation exhibited a very unusual pattern including the presence of the E rosette receptor and the expression of HLA-DR monomorphic determinant. This type of T cell malignant lymphoma can probably be included in the group of adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) which is endemic in South Western Japan and occasionally observed in Western countries. The emergence of such cases in these countries raises important epidemiological questions.