Lymph blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm: a case report and review of literature

Objective: To investigate the feature, pathological diagnosis and differential diagnosis of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm in the lymph node. Methods: The clinical and histological findings, immunophenotype, treatment and prognosis of one patient with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm in the lymph node were evaluated with review of the relevant literature. Results: The male patient with age of 72 years presented as cutaneous lesions. Pathological examination detected that blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm affected the skin and bone marrow. Under microscopical observaion, the tumor consisted of diffuse blasts with small to medium size, scant cytoplasm, highly irregular nuclear contours, dispersed nuclear chromatin and faint indistinct nucleolus. Immunohistochemical characteristics of the tumors were positive for CD43, CD56 and CD123, and negative for ALK, CD30, CD117, MPO and CD4. Conclusion: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm is a rare and highly aggressive hematopoietic neoplasm. Besides the skin, lymph node can also be involved. The differential diagnosis is necessary from other hematopoietic and lymphoid tumors.