Clinicopathological and immunohistological correlation of malignant lymphomas of the skin.

The study utilised monoclonal antibodies for T and B cells to study the immunophenotype in our lymphomas and to correlate with the clinicopathological aspects of eight cases of malignant lymphomas, of which four are cutaneous T cell lymphoma and four malignant lymphomas. The method used was immunohistochemical staining of tissue section by the alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) procedure. For four cases of cutaneous T cell lymphoma, three were in stage 1 and one in stage 2. The immunophenotypes were typical of mycosis fungoides-type cutaneous T cell lymphoma. They were predominantly T cells with many mature T cells. The CD4 to CD8 ratio fell within the normal range. There was no specific loss of CD7. For four cases of malignant lymphoma, T cell type, the pattern was again T cell phenotype with all of CD2, CD5, CD7 and CD4. The CD4 to CD8 ratios fell within the normal range except for one case, which showed a reversal of CD4/CD8, and this patient perished. His T suppressor cells were increased and had several cycles of malignant flare-up. One case showed mycosis fungoides, converting to lymphoma. This study demonstrates that monitoring of the progress is possible and can detect downgrading of malignant lymphomas.