Diagnosis in Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cutaneous Tcell lymphoma, Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary syndrom - By: Groshan Fabiola

At first patients develop cutaneous Tcell lymphoma which starts on and in the skin, due to the suppressed immune system after which Sezary syndrome appears. Mycosis Fungoides is one of the cutaneous Tcell lymphoma forms that progress slowly after which there may appear Sezary syndrome which is a leukemic variant of mycosis fungoides manifested with swollen lymph nodes and a large number of abnormal cells circulating in the blood. We must clearly differentiate cutaneous Tcell lymphoma from peripheral T-cell lymphomas or adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia which appear on the skin but are more severe and have a different treatment.

Diagnosis

To have a certain diagnosis you’ll be taken a biopsy which is a surgical removal of suspect tissue and which will be tested correspondingly by a pathologists to have a clear view over the type of the cancer and how far it is spread (known as staging). Cutaneous Tcell lymphoma is very different from other types of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The cancer’s spread on the skin is characterized from T1 to T4, from the staging of involvement of the lymph node N0 toN3 and whether there are distant metastasis M1 to M0. The cause of cutaneous Tcell lymphoma is unknown, viral cause has been suspected. Cutaneous Tcell lymphoma is a rare disease, with an annual incidence of about .29 cases per 100,000 persons in the United States. It is more common in Eastern Europe. The symptoms of cutaneous Tcell lymphoma are seen primarily in the skin, with itchy red patches or plaques and, usually over time, mushroom-shaped skin tumors. Diagnosis of cutaneous Tcell lymphoma is often difficult in the early stages because of its slow progression and ability to mimic many other benign skin conditions. The early stages of cutaneous Tcell lymphoma resemble closely the rashes of eczema, psoriasis, and contact dermatitis. The only universal symptom of the disease is the itch.

Treatment

Combination of treatments has been proved to be inneficient, but there are several treatments considering the stages: chemotherapy on the skin and ultraviolet A light exposure if the disease is in early stages and total skin electron beam radiation if the disease is spread. There are indicated several tests to support the treatment and the diagnosis so the patient should stay informed regarding the disease and the most recent discoveries in what concerns the treatment. Many important issues remain including the best dosing and schedules of administration. Potential strategies are being explored such as boosting the immune system to increase the effects of antibody treatment. Given the promising, but as yet unclear, current situation, it is important that patients review the options for their individual condition, become well-informed, and consider participation in clinical trials to have access to the broadest range of treatments.

About the Author

For more resources about lymphoma or even about non hodgkins lymphoma please review this page http://www.lymphoma-center.com/non-hodgkins-lymphoma.htm

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