Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma itself is one of many different types of T-cell lymphoma. Usually, lymphomas are named after the type of cell in which cancer arises.
Stage 3 - Most of the skin appears bumpy and may have several tumors or lesions.
At least one lesion measures 1 centimeter or wider. Stage 2 - The red rash and bumps persist and cover up to 80 percent of the skin’s surface.They may also present as bumps on the skin. Stage 1 - Lymphoma cells migrate to the upper layers of the skin, causing dry, patchy, scaly, red lesions (or thickened plaques of skin) that mimic eczema.Johns Hopkins Medicine describes the stages of CTCL and their symptoms as follows: Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma symptoms may sometimes mimic those of other skin conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, and chronic dermatitis. The symptoms of CTCL largely depend on the stage of cancer a person has. In contrast to the more identifiable signs of common skin cancer, such as bleeding spots or moles that change color, she said skin lymphoma causes “more of a rash that just doesn’t go away.” The symptoms persist even with the use of standard topical treatments for rashes. Bohjanen explained that the symptoms of cutaneous lymphoma are subtle. T-cell lymphoma is also more likely to affect adults over 60 years of age.ĭespite the rarity of cases worldwide, nearly 100 members of the MyLymphomaTeam community have reported that they live with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Men are affected by T-cell lymphomas at higher rates than women. Cutaneous B-cell lymphoma is even rarer.Ĭertain factors may increase your likelihood of developing lymphoma. Approximately 7 out of 10 cases of skin lymphoma are cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. In the UK, research shows that only about 7 in every 1 million people per year develop any kind of skin lymphoma. this year, with only 4 percent being lymphomas of the skin. Recent estimates by the American Cancer Society place newly diagnosed cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at 77,240 in the U.S. “When you talk about the cutaneous lymphomas, you’re talking about an incidence rate per million people.” This is the reason why the condition isn’t more widely discussed. “When you think about the more common skin cancers, like basal cell carcinoma and melanoma, you talk about an incidence rate per 100,000 people,” Dr. Bohjanen, cutaneous lymphoma is 10 times rarer than other cancers of the skin. Who Gets Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma?Īccording to Dr. Kimberly Bohjanen, a professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a specialist in skin lymphomas. To better understand cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, MyLymphomaTeam spoke to Dr. However, CTCL can also affect the lymph nodes, peripheral blood, and internal organs.
Skin lymphomas usually develop in the skin without affecting any other areas of the body at the time of diagnosis. Healthy T cells are an important part of the immune system, keeping the body safe by destroying cells which have been taken over by pathogens or become cancerous. Lymphatic cancers, known as lymphomas, can develop in either T cells or B cells. In highly-selected patients, allogeneic stem-cell transplantation may be considered, as this may be curative in some patients.Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that originates in the T lymphocytes (T cells) and spreads to the skin over time. In contrast, patients with advanced-stage disease with significant nodal, visceral or blood involvement are generally approached with systemic therapies, including biologic-response modifiers, histone deacetylase inhibitors, or antibody-based strategies, in an escalating fashion. For patients with disease limited to the skin, expectant management or skin-directed therapies is preferred, as both disease-specific and overall survival for these patients is favorable. TNMB (tumor, node, metastasis, blood) staging remains the most important prognostic factor in MF/SS and forms the basis for a "risk-adapted," multi-disciplinary approach to treatment. The diagnosis of MF or SS requires the integration of clinical and histopathologic data. Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are a heterogenous group of T-cell neoplasms involving the skin, the majority of which may be classified as Mycosis Fungoides (MF) or Sézary Syndrome (SS).