Diagnosis of Primary Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a type of primary cutaneous lymphoma originating from lymphocytes. It is a type of skin cancer. The erythematous lesions and histopathology are non-specific, and it is often difficult to make a clear diagnosis. This disease should be considered for patients diagnosed with other chronic pruritic skin diseases but for whom conventional treatments are unsatisfactory or ineffective. If necessary, multiple biopsies and serial section pathological examinations can be performed to make a clear diagnosis early.

Once the disease develops to the plaque stage or tumor stage, a diagnosis can usually be made based on the patient's clinical manifestations combined with histopathological examination. However, when the disease develops to this stage, the treatment effect is often not as good as early treatment, and the patient is likely to die a few years later, with a poor prognosis.

In addition, 80% to 90% of T cells in the dermal infiltration of primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma are helper T cells, and only 10% to 20% are suppressor T cells. Therefore, the use of anti-T cell monoclonal antibodies for immunoperoxidase staining is helpful for diagnosis. In addition, the gene rearrangement of T cell receptors also provides a more specific means for diagnosis.