OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical characteristics of cytophagic histiocytic panniculitis (CHP) and increase the understanding of CHP. METHODS: Clinical data of six cases with CHP in our hospital from 1994 were presented with literature review. RESULTS: (1) Six patients including five females, at a mean age of 21.8 year, suffered from the diseases for a mean period of 12.7 months; (2) The major clinical presentations included fever (6/6), subcutaneous nodules (6/6), splenomegaly (5/6) and hepatomegaly (4/6); The laboratory examinations showed elevated hepatic enzymes (4/6), coagulative dysfunction (2/6) and hemocytopenia (3/6); (3) The pathologic examinations revealed benign histiocytes that infiltrated the adipose tissues (6/6) and hemopieotic tissue (3/3), phagocytosing hemocytes; (4) Only one patient was treated with combined chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: CHP should be considered based on its unique clinical characteristics and would be diagnosed depending on pathology. The aggressive treatment of combined chemotherapy might improve the prognosis.