Hematologic Malignancies Program

Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

What is Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma? | Symptoms | Stages and Treatments | Clinical Trials | Greenebaum Cancer Center

What is Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma?

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Lymphoma is a general term for cancers that develop in the lymphatic system of the body. About 5 percent of all cases of cancer in the United States are lymphomas. Hodgkin's disease is one type of lymphoma. All other lymphomas are grouped together and called non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. There are many types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma affecting different parts of the lymph system.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in which certain cells of the lymph system (called T-lymphocytes) become cancerous and affect the skin. Lymphocytes are infection-fighting white blood cells that are made in the bone marrow and by other organs of the lymph system. T-cells are special lymphocytes that help the body's immune system kill bacteria and other harmful things in the body.

The lymph system is part of the immune system and is made up of thin tubes that branch, like blood vessels, into all parts of the body, including the skin. Lymph vessels carry lymph, a colorless, watery fluid that contains lymphocytes. Along the network of vessels are groups of small, bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes. Clusters of lymph nodes are found in the underarm, pelvis, neck and abdomen. The spleen (an organ in the upper abdomen that makes lymphocytes and filters old blood cells from the blood), the thymus (a small organ beneath the breastbone), and the tonsils (an organ in the throat) are also part of the lymph system.

This page was last updated on: May 14, 2009.