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The presence of a granulomatous reaction in cutaneous lymphomas has been described in the past, especially in mycosis fungoides (MF), where a "granulomatous" variant of the disease is well known. We describe a patient with granulomatous MF (GMF) who has been followed for 13 years presenting with erythematosquamous plaques on his fingers and toes, ankles, heels, and abdomen, which on microscopic examination showed a lichenoid granulomatous reaction admixed with a neoplastic proliferation of small-sized, atypical CD4 lymphocytes. GMF is characterized by a granulomatous reaction intermingled with the dermal infiltrate of MF which may even reach the subcutaneous tissue. Only 7 cases of GMF in which the granulomas were located within the papillary or superficial dermis have been described to date. We report for the first time a unique case of lichenoid GMF where the granulomatous reaction obscures the interface between the epidermis and dermis. Sequential biopsies and complete phenotypic studies were necessary to get an accurate diagnosis.

Granulomatous mycosis fungoides is a rare form of mycosis fungoides with controversial histogenesis. Early reports seemed to indicate a favorable prognosis for these patients. We report two cases of granulomatous mycosis fungoides, both of which had other unusual clinical features. The cases were studied with routine light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, and gene probe studies. Despite some clinical and histopathologic similarities, the results of the immunohistochemical and molecular biologic studies were diverse. These results suggest that granulomatous mycosis fungoides does not define a single subset of cases, immunophenotypically or biologically.

This is a 14-year follow-up of a patient with granulomatous mycosis fungoides. The patient has had nodular lesions of mycosis fungoides for more than 30 years, an unusually long survival for the nodular form of the disease that is often quickly fatal. The role of the granulomatous inflammatory response in his survival is speculated upon.