# A rare case report of relapsed/refractory primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type, treated with Epcoritamab: results obtained and lesson learned

**Authors:** Alessandro Cafaro, Francesco Malaspina, Pietro Rossi, Costantino Riemma, Jessica Rosa, Eliana Valentina Liardo, Margherita Parolini, Matelda Medri, Paolo Silimbani, Laura Crudi, Carla Masini, Gerardo Musuraca

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2026.1710502 · Frontiers in Oncology · 2026-02-10

## TL;DR

A rare case of aggressive skin lymphoma in an elderly man showed a temporary response to a new bispecific antibody treatment.

## Contribution

First reported use of Epcoritamab in relapsed/refractory PCDLBCL-LT without prior CAR T therapy.

## Key findings

- Epcoritamab induced a brief clinical response in a patient with PCDLBCL-LT.
- Early relapse occurred due to loss of CD20 expression after prolonged Rituximab exposure.
- This case highlights resistance mechanisms in CD20-targeted therapies.

## Abstract

Primary Cutaneous Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Leg Type (PCDLBCL-LT), is a rare and aggressive subtype of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphoma, predominantly affecting elderly individuals. The disease presents with nodular or tumorous skin lesions, mainly on the legs, and follows a highly aggressive clinical course, with frequent relapses and poor prognosis. The standard first-line treatment involves Rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy (R-CHOP), but therapeutic options for relapsed or refractory cases remain limited. We report the case of a 72-year-old male with relapsed/refractory PCDLBCL-LT who achieved a remarkable but short-lived response to Epcoritamab, a novel bispecific antibody targeting CD3 and CD20. After multiple treatment lines, including R-COMP, Tafasitamab-Lenalidomide, and Polatuzumab-Rituximab, the patient received Epcoritamab as fourth-line therapy. Despite an initial clinical response with regression of cutaneous lesions, early relapse occurred, coinciding with loss of CD20 expression, likely due to prolonged Rituximab exposure. This highlights an already described mechanism of resistance in T cell-CD20-directed therapies. To our best knowledge, this is the first reported case of relapsed/refractory PCDLBCL-LT treated with a bispecific antibody targeting CD20 alone, without a previous CAR T.

## Linked entities

- **Proteins:** cd.3 (Cd.3 conserved hypothetical protein), MS4A1 (membrane spanning 4-domains A1)
- **Chemicals:** Lenalidomide (PubChem CID 216326)
- **Diseases:** Primary Cutaneous Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Leg Type (MONDO:0006383), B-cell lymphoma (MONDO:0015759)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** CD19 (CD19 molecule) [NCBI Gene 930] {aka B4, CVID3}, CD5 (CD5 molecule) [NCBI Gene 921] {aka LEU1, T1}, TNFRSF8 (TNF receptor superfamily member 8) [NCBI Gene 943] {aka CD30, D1S166E, Ki-1}, MME (membrane metalloendopeptidase) [NCBI Gene 4311] {aka CALLA, CD10, CMT2T, NEP, SCA43, SFE}, BCL2 (BCL2 apoptosis regulator) [NCBI Gene 596] {aka Bcl-2, PPP1R50}, PAX5 (paired box 5) [NCBI Gene 5079] {aka ALL3, BSAP, PAX-5}, BCL6 (BCL6 transcription repressor) [NCBI Gene 604] {aka BCL5, BCL6A, LAZ3, ZBTB27, ZNF51}, PWWP3A (PWWP domain containing 3A, DNA repair factor) [NCBI Gene 84939] {aka EXPAND1, HSPC211, MUM-1, MUM1}, TNFAIP3 (TNF alpha induced protein 3) [NCBI Gene 7128] {aka A20, AIFBL1, AISBL, OTUD7C, TNFA1P2}, IRF4 (interferon regulatory factor 4) [NCBI Gene 3662] {aka IMD131, LSIRF, MUM1, NF-EM5, SHEP8}, MYC (MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor) [NCBI Gene 4609] {aka MRTL, MYCC, bHLHe39, c-Myc}, KRT20 (keratin 20) [NCBI Gene 54474] {aka CD20, CK-20, CK20, K20, KRT21}, CD79A (CD79a molecule) [NCBI Gene 973] {aka IGA, IGAlpha, MB-1, MB1}
- **Diseases:** B-cell and T-cell lymphomas (MESH:D016393), CRS (MESH:D000080424), type II diabetes (MESH:D003924), lymphoma (MESH:D008223), DLBCL (MESH:D016403), arterial hypertension (MESH:D000081029), death (MESH:D003643), ischemic heart disease (MESH:D017202), shaking chills (MESH:D023341), chronic pancreatitis (MESH:D050500), benign prostatic hyperplasia (MESH:D011470), cutaneous lesions (MESH:D009059), obesity (MESH:D009765), hepatic steatosis (MESH:D005234), multiple leg lesions (MESH:D010264), fever (MESH:D005334), hypotension (MESH:D007022), hypoxemia (MESH:D000860), skin lesions (MESH:D012871), dyslipidemia (MESH:D050171), neoplasm (MESH:D009369), swelling (MESH:D004487)
- **Chemicals:** Epcoritamab (-), Tafasitamab (MESH:C000613469), Lenalidomide (MESH:D000077269), Rituximab (MESH:D000069283), Loncastuximab tesirine (MESH:C000710749), 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (MESH:D019788), ibrutinib (MESH:C551803), Polatuzumab vedotin (MESH:C000600736), oxygen (MESH:D010100), Tocilizumab (MESH:C502936), anthracyclines (MESH:D018943), COMP (MESH:C037238), Venetoclax (MESH:C579720)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

19 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12929094/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12929094