Radiotherapy of primary cutaneous CD30⁺ large cell lymphoma. A preliminary study of eight patients

Abstract

Cutaneous CD30⁺ lymphomas are a group of lymphoproliferative disorders classified recently. Within this group the form of primary cutaneous CD30⁺ large cell lymphomas, characterized by the onset of solitary or localized nodules, seems to have a favourable course, sometimes with spontaneous regression. Thus, a nonaggressive treatment is a first-choice therapeutic approach. Dermatological radiotherapy using contact, soft or half-deep X-rays was performed on eight patients in the period 1991–1995, with a median total dose of 20 Gy per field of irradiation. The mean follow-up was of 24.75 months. All the lesions treated healed completely and up to now no relapse has been observed in the irradiated areas. Radiotherapy was always well tolerated and the cosmetic results were good in six patients (75%) and acceptable in two (25%). The preliminary results in this small series of patients support the choice of dermatological radiotherapy in the treatment of primary cutaneous CD30⁺ large cell lymphomas with solitary or few lesions.

Key Words:

• Cutaneous CD30⁺ lymphoma
• Radiotherapy