How is primary cutaneous ALCL staged?
Treatment of primary cutaneous ALCL is determined by the extent of the disease and symptoms it causes. Before beginning treatment it is important to rule out involvement of any organs other than the skin. This requires careful examination by a physician experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The physician will evaluate each case individually but will consider investigations to rule out involvement of other organs. These investigations may include blood tests, X-ray examinations or scans (such as CT or PET) and sometimes a bone marrow biopsy. Biopsies of any suspicious tissues will be sent to the laboratory for expert inspection under the microscope after special staining techniques have been applied to the tissues.

What is the prognosis?
Primary cutaneous ALCL has an excellent prognosis in most patients. Five to ten year disease related survival rates are better than 95%. Some cases will resolve without any therapy. The chance of spread beyond the skin is very low in patients with a single lesion, but does increase slightly (10-12%) in patients with multiple skin lesions.