Peripheral blood flow cytometry based diagnosis in primary cutaneous aggressive epidermotropic CD8+ T-cell lymphoma: implications for more extensive use.

Primary cutaneous epidermotropic CD8-positive T-cell lymphoma represents an aggressive form of T-cell cutaneous lymphomas. Diagnosis is based on biopsies obtained from skin lesions. Here, we would like to report a case diagnosed by using flow cytometry performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Moreover, an important finding was the difference in the results on targeting the CD8 antigen by using two different commercially available monoclonal antibodies. Perhaps, more than one antibody should be used in primary cutaneous aggressive epidermotropic CD8-positive T-cell lymphomas, in order to be more accurate in the diagnosis and so in the classification of such diseases.