Long-term remission of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma with central nervous system involvement: A case report

Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is an indolent cutaneous T-cell lymphoma with a favourable prognosis. The reported incidence of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in SPTCL is extremely low. SPTCL with CNS involvement is a fatal disease with no optimal treatment. The present study presents the case of a 27-year-old man who initially presented with erythematous nodules on the left buttock and left inguinal lymph node enlargement. A skin biopsy resulted in a diagnosis of SPTCL. Subsequent to diagnosis, the patient developed CNS involvement and underwent treatment of fotemustine, teniposide and dexamethasone, and complete remission was achieved for 78 months. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of secondary CNS SPTCL with long-term remission. Accumulating evidence shows that this CNS-directed regimen can be effective in SPTCL with CNS involvement and in other CNS lymphomas.