Mycosis fungoides natural history, complications and prognosis
|
Cutaneous T cell lymphoma Microchapters |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sowminya Arikapudi, M.B,B.S. [2]
Overview
If left untreated, cutaneous T cell lymphoma may progress to develop patches , plaque, and tumors. Depending on the extent of the lymphoma at the time of diagnosis, the prognosis may vary.
Natural history[1]
- Cutaneous T cell lymphoma is usually initially seen by dermatologists with patients presenting with skin lesions
- Patients often have a history of several years of eczematous or dermatitic skin lesions before the diagnosis is finally established
- The skin lesions then progress from the patch stage to the plaque stage to cutaneous tumors
Prognosis[2]
- Cutaneous T cell lymphoma is usually a slow-growing (indolent) lymphoma
- The prognosis for people with cutaneous T cell lymphoma is based on the extent of disease and how the person responds to treatment
- Although more advanced stages of cutaneous T cell lymphoma may not be cured, the lymphoma can still be controlled with treatment
Favorable prognosis
- Early stage disease
- Lymphoma is confined to the skin
Unfavorable prognosis
- More advanced disease
- Lymphoma has spread to lymph nodes
- Lymphoma has spread to other organs
References
- ↑ Mycosis fungoides. Radiopaedia.http://radiopaedia.org/articles/mycosis-fungoides Accessed on January 20, 2016
- ↑ Cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Canadian Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/types-of-nhl/cutaneous-t-cell-lymphoma/?region=on Accessed on January 19, 2016