Lupus-like dermatological “masks” of cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma

I.B. Bashkova^1,2, I.V. Madyanov^1,3

¹I.N. Ulianov Chuvash State University, Cheboksary

²Federal Center for Traumatology, Orthopedics and Arthroplasty, Cheboksary

³“The Postgraduate Doctors’ Training Institute”, Cheboksary

The systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by a wide range of clinical manifestations, which dictates the need for thorough differential diagnosis of SLE with other diseases. A special place in this case is occupied by skin lesions peculiar to SLE. Sometimes cutaneous lupus-like changes can mask the onset of other diseases, including oncohematological ones. The article gives an example of such a case.

A 40-year-old female patient whose dermatologist suspected SLE was referred to a rheumatologist. From medical history, it was known that 6 months ago during rest in camping site she caught a cold. A month later, mucopurulent discharge from the nasal passages occurred. Later, painless ulcers appeared in the nasal and oral cavity. Subsequently, right mammary gland swelling with diffuse induration and skin redness, similar to erysipelas, occurred. There was a moderate increase in the antero-cervical and axillary lymph nodes. The patient was referred for consultation to an oncologist-mammologist, who rejected the diagnosis of breast cancer based on ultrasound and mammography results and referred the patient to a dermatologist for consultation. After the research, the dermatologist suspected the onset of SLE on the basis of bilateral lesions in breast tissue, cutaneous erythema on the trunk, mild cutaneous hyperemia on the cheeks, increase in peripheral regional lym ph nodes, ulcers of the mucous membranes in the oral and nasal cavity, hair loss, weight loss during the disease by 7 kg. The immunological tests recommended by the rheumatologist did not confirm SLE in the female patient, which was the reason for conducting a breast biopsy. The combination of histological and immunohistochemical data obtained during the study of the biopsy material made it possible to diagnose primary anaplastic large-cell lymphoma with breast tissue lesions in the patient. In general, it took 6 months from the first visit to the doctors to establish a precise diagnosis.

Keywords: systemic lupus erythematosus, cutaneous and mucosal lesions, breast cancer, anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, diagnostic errors.

For citation: Bashkova I.B., Madyanov I.V. Lupus-like dermatological “masks” of cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. RMJ. 2020;7:24–27.