Evaluation of clinical and follow-up outcomes in primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas: A single-center retrospective study from 2006 to 2022

Background and Design: Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (PCBCLs) have not been well characterized due to their relatively low incidence and heterogeneous clinical features. Materials and Methods: Data of 29 patients with primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma (PCMZL) (n=18), primary cutaneous follicle center B-cell lymphoma (PCFCL) (n=7), and primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma-leg type (PCDLBCL-LT) (n=4) who were followed and treated at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine between 2006 and 2022 were retrospectively evaluated. Clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, and outcomes of all patients were analyzed. Results: Our study supports the data that there are geographical differences in the distribution of B-cell lymphomas and that PCMZL is predominant in Asian countries compared to Europe. The mean age at the time of diagnosis in the PCDLBCL-LT group was significantly older than the indolent PCBCL group (p=0.022). The lesion size was predominantly less than 2 cm in PCMZL, between 2 and 5 cm in PCFCL, and larger than 5 cm in the PCDLBCL-LT group (p=0.006). While skin-directed treatments were the most common approach in the PCMZL and PCFCL groups, multi-agent chemotherapy was the preferred treatment in the PCDLBCL-LT group (p=0.003 and p=0.001, respectively). No significant correlation was found between age, gender, clinical features of the lesion, cutaneous lymphoma international prognostic index score, stage and treatment modalities, recurrence, and overall survival. The World Health Organization and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer classification of cutaneous lymphoma remains the primary guideline for understanding the clinical behavior and prognostic parameters of this heterogeneous patient group. Conclusion: Given the relative rarity of these types of lymphoma, our patient collective provides an additional value to the existing literature.