Effective high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in a patient with the aggressive form of cytophagic histiocytic panniculitis

A 20-year-old Japanese man developed generalized, subcutaneous, painless nodules, fever, abnormal liver function, serosal effusions, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy and anemia. Skin biopsies revealed lobular panniculitis with a morphologically benign histiocytic infiltration and prominent phagocytosis. Atypical T lymphocytes were also present in the skin and liver. The diagnosis given was aggressive cytophagic histiocytic panniculitis (CHP) or aggressive subcutaneous panniculitic T cell lymphoma (SPTCL). He received cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine on day 1, prednisolone on days 1–5, and etoposide on days 1, 3 and 5 (CHOP-E), with the support of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. This regimen was repeated every 2 weeks and complete clinical remission (CCR) was attained after three cycles of CHOP-E. As the clinical course of aggressive CHP is recurrent and often fatal, he was given high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT), after five cycles of CHOP-E. He has remained in CCR for 12 months after APBSCT. High-dose chemotherapy followed by APBSCT is considered to be one of the most beneficial therapies for patients with aggressive CHP and aggressive phase SPTCL.