A new palliative treatment for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm: a case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare haematological malignancy that derives from plasmacytoid dendritic cells. The cancer is characterized by aggressive development and dismal prognosis, and due to limited prospective study, there is currently no established standard treatment. In this study, the case of a 77-year old female patient with BPDCN, who presented with a cutaneous lesion on the right of her face, is described. The lesion developed into a serious ulcer due to rapid disease progress, thus, a surgical excision was performed. As the patient refused to receive radiotherapy or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation following surgery, a new palliative combination chemotherapy was administered, comprising gemcitabine, nedaplatin and bleomycin. The therapy gave satisfactory results in terms of short-term treatment response and was well-tolerated. Published literature regarding BPDCN is also reviewed.