CD30 positive cells in cutaneous inflammatory lesions

Positivity for CD30 is found in a large range of non-neoplastic skin lesion. Of itself, it is not grounds for a diagnosis of malignancy.

Conditions in which CD30 expression has been reported include:

• atopic dermatitis2

• carbamazepine3 and cefuroxime4 drug reactions

• scabies5

• molluscum contagiosum6

Atypical lymphoid cells in a Golgi & membrane distribution in:

• insect bite: 4/5, in association with eosinophils1. By contrast, Smoller found no immunoreactivity for CD30 in six patients with arthropod bites and considered this useful in the differential from lymphomatoid papulosis7. This negativity may have been due to the lack of antigen retrieval employed1.

• spider bites: 2/21

• various infections(abscess, cellulitis, chromomycosis, Herpes simplex, necrotising fasciitis): 8/121, in association with either a neutrophilic or eosinophilic inflammatory infiltrate.

• non-infective inflammation(hidradenitis, ruptured cyst, rhinophyma, granulation tissue, pressure ulcer, Sweet's disease): 9/91

References

1Cepeda, L. T., M. Pieretti, et al. (2003). "CD30-positive atypical lymphoid cells in common non-neoplastic cutaneous infiltrates rich in neutrophils and eosinophils." Am J Surg Pathol 27(7): 912-8.

2Piletta, P. A., S. Wirth, et al. (1996). "Circulating skin-homing T cells in atopic dermatitis. Selective up-regulation of HLA-DR, interleukin-2R, and CD30 and decrease after combined UV-A and UV-B phototherapy." Arch Dermatol 132(10): 1171-6.

3Nathan, D. L. and D. V. Belsito (1998). "Carbamazepine-induced pseudolymphoma with CD-30 positive cells." J Am Acad Dermatol 38(5 Pt 2): 806-9.

4Saeed, S. A., M. Bazza, et al. (2000). "Cefuroxime induced lymphomatoid hypersensitivity reaction." Postgrad Med J 76(899): 577-9.

5McCalmont, T. H. and P. E. LeBoit (2000). "A lymphomatoid papule, but not lymphomatoid papulosis!" Am J Dermatopathol 22(2): 188-90.

6Guitart, J. and M. A. Hurt (1999). "Pleomorphic T-cell infiltrate associated with molluscum contagiosum." Am J Dermatopathol 21(2): 178-80.

7Smoller, B. R., T. A. Longacre, et al. (1992). "Ki-1 (CD30) expression in differentiation of lymphomatoid papulosis from arthropod bite reactions." Mod Pathol 5(5): 492-6.

This page last revised 13.1.2004.

©SMUHT/PW Bishop