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A 47-year-old female asked:
Is it standard when doing a skin biopsy to run cd3 and if it's negative can it still be turning into lymphoma?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Sewa Leghaanswered
Medical Oncology 52 years experience
No, it is not: A skin biopsy would only be done if there is a visible lesion(s) over the skin.Then a microscopic exam will reveal if there is any abnormal cells in the skin biopsy which may look like a lymphoma , in which case lymphoma markers like cd3 and others like it may be tested.
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4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. James Davie commented
Pathology 25 years experience
CD3 positive lymphocytes are part of a normal skin biopsy, including those with benign inflammatory or malignant (such as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma) lymphocytic infiltrates. By itself, CD3 positivity means nothing other than lymphocytes are present in the skin. Skin lymphocytes that are selectively CD3 negative, however, may be an indicator of a CD3-negative example of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
May 15, 2014
Last updated Jan 27, 2015
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