Lymphocytic lobular panniculitis - is it lupus or lymphoma?

Lymphocytic lobular panniculitis, or lymphocytic infiltration of the panniculus, is considered the hallmark of both lupus erythematosus profundus and subcutaneous panniculitis-like T cell lymphoma. Both these entities may be clinically indistinguishable, and in a proportion of patients there may be overlapping histological and immunohistochemical features. We present here a 12 year old female who had such a panniculitis with overlapping features, and responded to therapy with a benign course.