Relative Frequency, Clinical Features, and Survival Outcomes of 395 Patients with Cutaneous Lymphoma in Korea: A Subgroup Analysis per 10-year Period

Abstract

Long-term changes in the relative frequency of cutaneous lymphoma (CL) have not been investigated in Asian populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative frequency, clinical characteristics, and survival outcomes of CL in Korean patients, and to evaluate the changes in relative frequency of CL over a 20-year period. The present retrospective cohort study included 395 patients, of whom 289 had primary CL and 106 secondary CL, seen at a tertiary referral hospital in Seoul, Korea. Primary CL included T-/NK-cell linage lymphoma (CTCL, 85.1%) and B-cell lineage lymphoma (CBCL, 14.9%). The relative frequency of CBCL increased over time, as shown by a decrease in the CTCL/CBCL ratio from 10.3 in 1994 to 2003 to 4.5 in 2004 to 2013. CTCL was more commonly associated with multiple and extensive skin lesions than CBCL. Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma and subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma were commonly associated with extensive skin lesions. The 5-year overall survival rate for all patients with primary CL was 81%.