Primary cutaneous Hodgkin's disease with evolution to systemic disease. Association with the Epstein-Barr virus

Am J Surg Pathol. 1996 Jun;20(6):754-9. doi: 10.1097/00000478-199606000-00014.

Abstract

Hodgkin's disease rarely involves the skin and when it does is an indication of advanced stage disease. Primary cutaneous Hodgkin's disease is exceedingly rare, and only a few cases are reported. We describe a patient who developed multiple cutaneous lesions of Hodgkin's disease 2 years before manifesting nodal disease of mixed cellularity subtype. Reed-Sternberg cells in the skin as well as lymph nodes and bone marrow were positive for Epstein-Barr viral transcripts and expressed viral latent membrane protein. Epstein-Barr virus has not previously been demonstrated in primary cutaneous Hodgkin's disease, and its presence in lesions in all sites in this case supports a diagnosis of primary cutaneous disease with subsequent evolution into systemic disease.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Biomarkers / analysis
  • Female
  • Herpesviridae Infections / immunology
  • Herpesviridae Infections / pathology*
  • Herpesvirus 4, Human / isolation & purification*
  • Hodgkin Disease / immunology
  • Hodgkin Disease / pathology
  • Hodgkin Disease / virology*
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Ki-1 Antigen / analysis
  • Lymph Nodes / pathology
  • Lymph Nodes / virology
  • Reed-Sternberg Cells / immunology
  • Reed-Sternberg Cells / pathology
  • Reed-Sternberg Cells / virology
  • Skin Diseases / immunology
  • Skin Diseases / pathology
  • Skin Diseases / virology*
  • Tumor Virus Infections / immunology
  • Tumor Virus Infections / pathology*

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Ki-1 Antigen