Nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma with cutaneous involvement

The immunophenotype of nasal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma is characterized as CD56⁺ and cytoplasmic CD3 (CD3ε)⁺, but is usually surface CD3^-. Most patients with this lymphoma present with lesions in the nasal region and sometimes secondary spreading. Patients rarely present with a lesion located primarily in the skin or soft tissue and relapse in the nose. We report on a 49-year-old woman who presented initially with progressive cutaneous lesions over 6 months. Nasal obstruction and nasal discharge appeared for about 1 month. We examined a mass from the left inferior turbinate and performed biopsies of the nasal and cutaneous lesions to confirm the nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma with cutaneous involvement. She received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Clinicians should consider the possibility of nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma if the diseased nasal condition progresses; the nasal region should be examined in detail when NK/T-cell lymphoma is found in an extranasal site.