摘要：

This study characterizes the clinicopathological spectrum of lymphoproliferations involving the breast nipple and/or areola. Morphologic, immunohistochemical, molecular-ge-netic, and clinical features of 58 specimens from 56 patients were analyzed. They were re-diagnosed as cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia (CLH, n = 44); other benign lymphoid infiltrates (OBLI, n = 8); peripheral T-cell lymphoma,not otherwise specified (n = 1); cases with overlapping features of CLH and B-cell lymphoma (n = 3), one of them composed of spindle cells. Cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia infiltrates were dense, composed mainly of B cells forming follicles with germinal centers (GC). Cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia frequently showed features suggesting a malignancy as coalescing follicles with non-polarized germinal centers lacking mantle zones, and smudged infiltrates of lymphoid cells spreading into collagen (often as " Indian files" ), smooth muscle, vessel walls, and nerve sheaths. Only two cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasias recurred; otherwise all patients are without disease (mean follow-up 62 months) . Monoclonal rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene was detected in five, and of T-cell receptor γ gene in two cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasias using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but the patients fared well too. In 47% of cases Borrelia burgdorferi was detected by polymerase chain reaction and/or serology, of which one was monoclonal. We conclude that cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia is the most common lymphoproliferation of the breast nipple, rarely recognized clinically, and often overdiagnosed histologically as lymphoma.

展开