Primary cutaneous lymphomas: Seven years' experience from 2000 to 2007

Cutaneous lymphomas include comprises a heterogeneous group of diseases that are characterized by a clonal accumulation of lymphocytes in the skin. They are often primary non-Hodgkin's lymphomas primitive of the skin originating derived from T cells, B cells and natural killer cells with a different histology, immunophenotyipe, clinical presentation and prognosis. About 40% of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas localized in the extranodal compartment, frequently are cutaneous and gastrointestinal lymphomas. The EORTC has recently proposed a new classification for the group of primary cutaneous lymphomas based on a combination of clinical, histological, immunophenotyipical and genetic criteria, aiming that wants to achieve the target of prognosis. We present the clinical experience of the Operative Unit of Plastic Surgery Unit of the Cannizzaro hospital and of the Operative Units of Hematology and Dermatology Units of the Vittorio Emanuele and Ferrarotto hospitals, in Catania. Our experience, during the last seven years, on a lot of patients with an heterogeneous clinical presentation shows that only the histologic examination can give the diagnosis of cutaneous lymphoma while it is difficult impossible to have a diagnosis only on the basis of following the clinical examination criteria.