Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a group of rare blood cancers that affect your skin. Most cutaneous T-cell lymphomas grow very slowly and aren’t life-threatening. Rarely, people with cutaneous T-cell lymphomas develop serious forms of the condition. Healthcare providers have treatments to ease symptoms, but they can’t cure the lymphomas.
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a group of rare blood cancers that affects the largest organ in your body — your skin. These cancers cause symptoms like rash, very itchy skin (pruritus) or other skin issues that may look and feel like common skin disorders. Most cutaneous T-cell lymphomas grow very slowly and aren’t life-threatening, but some people may develop serious forms of the condition. Healthcare providers have treatments to ease symptoms, but they can’t cure the lymphomas.
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Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are part of a larger group of diseases called non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are cancers that start in certain white blood cells called lymphocytes. Two types of lymphocytes — CD4 and CD8 — help regulate your immune system. In cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, T-cell lymphocytes mutate, becoming cancerous cells that multiply uncontrollably.
Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas can look and feel like common skin problems like psoriasis, eczema or even an allergic reaction. Many people have symptoms for years before obtaining a diagnosis. The two most common subtype of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma are mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. Each subtype may affect your body in different ways:
Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are blood cancers that affect your skin, but they’re not skin cancers. The difference lies in where cancer starts. In cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, white blood cells called lymphocytes mutate, becoming cancerous cells that multiply and cause symptoms like widespread redness, itchy rashes, large patches of raised skin or small firm lumps (nodules). Skin cancer like basal cell carcinoma happens when skin (epidermal ) cells mutate, becoming abnormal skin cells that multiply and form tumors on or under your skin.
They can be serious illnesses but that doesn’t happen very often. For example, mycosis fungoides, the most common subtype, mostly affect your skin, grows very slowly and is easy to treat.
Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are twice as likely to affect men and people designated male at birth than women and people designated female at birth. These lymphomas typically affect people between the ages of age 40 to 60. People who are Black are more likely to develop these conditions than people who are white or Asian American.
These are rare illnesses. Healthcare providers estimate mycosis fungoides, the most common form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, affects 1 in 1 million people in the United States.
Symptoms vary depending on the disease type and phase. For example, mycosis fungoides symptoms may begin as red rashes or red scaly patches on your body. Sézary syndrome also affects your skin but can spread to your bloodstream.
Healthcare providers and researchers don’t know exactly what causes cutaneous T-cell lymphomas happen. Here are two possibilities:
Your healthcare provider will review your medical history and do a physical examination. They’ll focus on any patches or plaques on your skin. They may ask if you have allergies.
Healthcare providers use cancer-staging systems to plan treatments and develop prognoses or expected outcomes. Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome stages range from I to IV. Each stage has four sub-categories from 1-4. Providers also use a staging system known as TNMB, based on four factors:
Healthcare providers and researchers aren’t sure why these conditions happen. They do see some connections between conditions like infections or medical treatment that may weaken your immune system. Ways you can protect your immune system include:
Healthcare providers can’t cure these skin lymphomas. They can treat the conditions with therapies that ease or eliminate symptoms and slow down lymphoma growth. Many times people who receive treatment for this condition will live for many years.
Many things factor into estimating a survival rate. If you have cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, your healthcare provider is your best resource for information about your situation
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is cancer that affects your skin, making it dry, itchy and scaly. While treatment slows cancer growth and eases symptoms, some treatments may irritate already aggravated skin. Here are some suggestions that may help:
You should discuss with your healthcare provider about how often you need to see them. They’ll decide how often you need to have skin examinations and/or blood tests. Always contact your healthcare provider if:
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a group of rare blood cancers that affect your skin. Most cutaneous T-cell lymphomas grow very slowly and aren’t life-threatening. Dealing with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma can be challenging for people and healthcare providers alike. It may take you a while to ask your provider about a persistent rash. It may take your provider a while to confirm that rash isn’t one of several common skin problems. After that, it may take several tests before they can confirm you have a form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Once your healthcare providers diagnose cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, they have several treatments to ease your symptoms.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 07/20/2022.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy