S100-Negative, CD1a-Positive Cutaneous Histiocytosis in a Patient with S100-Positive, CD1a-Positive Pulmonary Histiocytosis.

In the diagnostic approach to histiocytic proliferations, immunohistochemistry may be a source of both confusion and clarification. We present a case of a 60-year-old man with a generalized pruritic eruption that demonstrated positive staining for CD1a, but negative staining for langerin and S100 protein. This immunophenotype is neither representative nor characteristic of any recognized dendritic cell tumor but has been previously described in 3 cases of skin-limited histiocytosis. However, our patient also demonstrated pulmonary histiocytic infiltrates that were positive for both CD1a and S100 proteins. This differing expression of S100 protein witnessed in 2 separate organ systems affords us insight into the pathophysiology of these histiocytic proliferations.