Hematologic Malignancies Program

Patient and Family Education

Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

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

Symptoms

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma usually develops slowly over many years. In the early stages of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, the skin may itch, and dry, dark patches may develop on the skin. As the disease gets worse, tumors may form on the skin, a condition called mycosis fungoides. As more and more of the skin becomes involved, the skin may become infected. The disease can spread to lymph nodes or to other organs in the body, such as the spleen, lungs, or liver. When large numbers of the tumor cells are found in the blood, the condition is called the Sezary syndrome.

If a patient has symptoms of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, his or her doctor may remove a growth from the skin and look at it under a microscope. This is called a biopsy. There are several other types of cancer that start in the skin, including basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers, melanoma, and Kaposi's sarcoma. The biopsy will help the doctor confirm the diagnosis of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

The chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it is just in the skin or has spread to other places in the body) and the patient's general state of health.

This page was last updated on: October 7, 2009.