RESUMEN
Purpose To inquire into the clinical and pathological features of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma. Methods The histopathology and immunophenotypes of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma in 8 cases were observed. Results Clinically one or more subcutaneous nodules were first found, then the lesion infiltrated up to the epiderm or down to the fascia. Half of the cases were stable for long time without systematic symptoms. The others got high fever with bone marrow, lymphonode involvement, had tumescent liver, and spleen, and decreasing of the counts of thrombocytes or whole blood cells. A few were accompanied with lethal hematophage syndrome. Some rapidly advanced and died less than 3 years. Pathologically, atypical large, midium-size and small lymphocytes with variable ratio rounded the lipocytes like rosettes and were confluent to small patchs or foci or formed a reticular pattern. There were many karyokineses and karyorrhexis made of distinct karyorrhexis bodies. The histocytes reactively proliferated accompanied with phagoerythrocytic phenomena, and polynuclear giant cells and granulomatoid reaction were found. The tumor cells infiltrated in the lipolubules. They expressed T-cell immunophenotype. Conclusions This tumor is a special type of skin lymphoma involving subcutaneous fat tissue and special clinicophathological features.