Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma in a patient receiving adalimumab

Anti–tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, such as etanercept, infliximab, and adalimumab, are increasingly used in the treatment of many chronic inflammatory diseases, including psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.1 Because of their profound immunoregulatory effect, anti–TNF-α agents have long been suspected to increase the risk of certain types of lymphomas, although this has never been definitively proven. To date, data from several studies and case reports have shown an increased incidence of lymphoma in patients treated with anti-TNF agents,1-4 although other reports have failed to confirm or even refute these findings.