Primary cutaneous CD30-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphoma of the external auditory canal

December 31, 2012 by Nuno Marcal, MD; Sofia Campelos, MD; Luis Dias, MD; Matos Goncalves, MD; Gabriel Pereira, MD; Tiago Godinho, MD
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Abstract

Primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is rare. Cutaneous lymphoma is defined as primary when there is an absence of nodal or systemic disease during the first 6 months following diagnosis. We report what we believe to be the first documented case of a primary cutaneous CD30-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphoma of the external auditory canal. The patient was an elderly woman who presented with progressively worsening right otalgia and hypoacusis. Otoscopy revealed an erythematic, ulcerative, nonbleeding, localized lesion in the anterosuperior area of the external auditory canal. The patient underwent an excisional biopsy, and after the diagnosis was established, she underwent 22 sessions of radiotherapy. During follow-up, she exhibited no evidence of recurrence.

IntroductionPrimary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. At the time of diagnosis, extracutaneous extension is usually not present. Approximately 20% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas originate in T lymphocytes.1The skin is the second most frequently involved extraganglionic site of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. According to the world literature, the incidence of skin involvement ranges from 0.5 to 2.0 per 100,000 population.2

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