Pediatric Primary Cutaneous Lymphoma in China: A Retrospective Study

Background: The incidence and clinical features of primary cutaneous lymphoma (PCL) tend to differ by age, gender, geographical, and racial variation. All-aged and adult groups of PCL in various regions have been well demonstrated and compared, while the research concentrating on pediatric PCL is rare, especially in Asian countries. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of PCL in pediatric population at a single center in China. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 101 pediatric cases with PCL, diagnosed at the Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, from January 2010 to December 2021. Results: Mycosis fungoides (MF), accounting for 41.6% of the total cases, was the most common subtype in pediatric PCL, and the hypopigmented MF accounted for 47.6% of all the MF cases. Lymphomatoid papulosis and chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection tied for second place with a proportion of 22.8%. Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma, subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma, primary cutaneous peripheral T-cell lymphoma, rare subtypes and primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma, respectively, accounted for 2.0%, 4.0%, 4.0%, and 3.0%. Most patients had favorable prognosis during the follow-up. Conclusion: The study suggested that MF was the most common subtype in pediatric PCL in China, and most types of pediatric PCL had favorable prognosis.