Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm: a short review and update

Abstract

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare hematologic neoplasm (less than 1% of primary cutaneous lymphomas and acute leukemia) with a highly aggressive clinical course and frequent skin, bone marrow and central nervous system involvement. Even though there is often an early response to chemotherapy, leukemic dissemination relapses are very common and result in poor outcomes, with a median overall survival of 8 to 14 months in the first-line setting using standard combination chemotherapy regimens. Almost 90% of patients experience skin involvement as their initial site of infection, where BPDCN may stay restricted for weeks or even months until a swift secondary phase involving multiple organs takes place. Consequently, it is crucial to suspect and identify early skin lesions, as well as to conduct and report a skin biopsy as soon as possible. In order to diagnose and treat BPDCN, a multidisciplinary strategy involving collaboration between pathologists, hematologists, and dermatologists is unquestionably essential.