A Case of CD30 (＋)/ALK (-) Primary Systemic Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma with Atypical Clinical Features

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and this tumor is predominantly composed of large lymphoid cells that have a strong expression of CD30. Two major groups of ALCL have been described. The first is a spectrum of CD30＋ lymphoproliferative disorders, including primary cutaneous ALCL and lymphomatoid papulosis. The second is systemic nodal ALCL, which can be subdivided into two groups: anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive and ALK-negative. The relative frequency of ALCL in Korea is about 19% of all cutaneous lymphomas. Solitary or multiple large nodular tumoral lesions confined to one body compartment are the most common presentation. We report here on a case of CD30 (＋)/ALK ( ) primary systemic ALCL in a 77 year-old-male, and the skin lesion manifested as multiple papules, plaques and tumors on the trunk, buttocks and upper and lower extremities. (Korean J Dermatol 2008;46(10):1419∼1423)