Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas: diagnosis and treatment challenges in Angola and Sub-Saharan Africa

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are a heterogeneous group of rare diseases, for which there is little epidemiological data in Angola and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).Diagnosing CTCLs requires a systematic evaluation of general symptoms, skin lesions, and histological features to guide their management.Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common non-Hodgkin's lymphoproliferative disease, followed by cutaneous anaplastic CD30+ large cell lymphoma (ALCL), accounting for about 2-5% of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.We present the clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical features, therapeutic approach, and outcomes of the first two well-documented cases of anaplastic lymphoma kinase-negative ALCL CD30+ and MF in Angola, illustrating the challenges for diagnosing and managing such malignant diseases in that context.A succinct literature review highlights the characteristics of these tumors in darker skin types, i.e., skin of color patients, and reports from SSA.