Fatal anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma presenting with cutaneous lesions: A case report

Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a CD30-positive non-Hodgkin lymphoma of T-cell origin. It comprises approximately 3% of all non- Hodgkin lymphomas. The skin may be the primary involvement site (primary cutaneous) or systemic ALCL may affect the skin as cutaneous metastasis. In systemic ALCL, 80-85% of cases exhibit anaplastic lymphoma kinase-1 (ALK). However, primary cutaneous ALCL is typically ALK-negative. The most important prognostic marker in systemic ALCL is the expression of ALK. Positive ALK is associated with a favourable prognosis in systemic ALCL. Here, we report a case of ALK-positive ALCL with a very aggressive clinical course. Our case was evaluated for brown-violaceous nodules appearing on the trunk, groin and arm for about 3-4 weeks. In a few days after the diagnosis of ALCL, the patient died because of sepsis which was thought to be associated with ALCL