Type and maturational status of dendritic cells in cutaneous B cell lymphoproliferative disorders.

Aims: B cell cutaneous lymphoid hyperplasia (B-CLH) and cutaneous mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma represent opposite poles of the same disease spectrum. We explored the hypothesis that dendritic cells (DCs) are central in the generation and regulation of such lesions.

Methods And Results: Immunohistochemistry was used to identify Langerhan cells (LCs), dermal DCs (DDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (PDCs), as well as mature and alternatively activated DCs, in B-CLH (n = 14) and cutaneous MALT lymphoma (n = 18).