Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Sunita BAMANIKAR 1, Archana BUCH 2, Punita KALKAL 3, Arvind BAMANIKAR 4
Department of Pathology, Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Center, Maharashtra, India
ABSTRACT
Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a disease caused by the monoclonal proliferation of Langerhans cells. Langerhans cell histiocytosis may involve bone, skin, lymph nodes, liver and spleen, with haematologic changes, and cause fever, malaise and failure to thrive. Up to 50% of patients with either single or multi-organ manifestation of Langerhans cell histiocytosis initially present with cutaneous symptoms. Cutaneous Langerhans cell histiocytosis is heterogeneous in its clinical features and therefore prone to misdiagnosis. We report here a case of Langerhans cell histiocytosis in a child who presented with multiple scalp lesions, in whom a presumptive diagnosis of Langerhans cell histiocytosis is made when characteristic histomorphological features are identified on biopsy tissue, and the definitive diagnosis is established by immunohistochemical examination with appropriate antibodies.
Keywords: Langerhans cell histiocytosis, cutaneous lesions, immunohistochemistry
Correspondence author: Sunita A BAMANIKAR, 5 & 6, Siddharth Estates, North avenue, Kalyani nagar, Pune 411006, Maharashtra, India
E mail: sunitarvind@hotmail.com
Brunei Int Med J. 2013; 9 (5): 341-344