Cutaneous crystal storing histiocytosis: A case series with review of literature

Abstract

Crystal-storing histiocytosis (CSH) is a rare condition in which crystals accumulate in the cytoplasm of histiocytes and is usually associated with a lymphoplasmacytic neoplasm. Cutaneous CSH is extraordinarily rare and limited to case reports in the literature. We report two cases of this disease with cutaneous involvement. Case 1 was a 65-year-old male with a 4-month history of a pruritic eruption that started as a solitary pink to skin-colored indurated plaque on the anterior neck before progressing to involve the whole neck, chest wall, and face. Case 2 was a 54-year-old woman with a history of unspecified “lymphoma” who presented with a soft nodule on the forearm. Biopsies from both cases had similar findings and showed a proliferation of epithelioid cells with pink cytoplasm and intracellular crystalline structures infiltrating the dermis and subcutaneous fat. In the first case, the cells were positive for CD43, CD45, CD68, and IgG kappa, and in the second case, the crystals were positive for IgG lambda. Based on these findings, the patients were diagnosed with cutaneous CSH. We highlight this rare diagnosis and the importance of investigating an underlying lymphoplasmacytic neoplasm.