Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas and their management strategies.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) comprise a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative disorders characterized by the proliferation of skin-homing post-thymic T-cells. It is the second most common extranodal non-Hodgekin's lymphoma. Many variants of mycosis fungoides and CTCLs are known to date, differing in clinical, histological, and immunophenotypic characteristics. Oral involvement has also been reported rarely in CTCLs. Treatment depends on the disease stage or the type of variant. New insights into the disease and the number of emerging novel therapeutic options have made it an interesting area for dermatologists and medical oncologists.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in mycosis fungoides / Transplante alogenico de celulas-tronco hematopoieticas em micose fungoide

Mycosis Fungoides is typically an indolent disease in early stages. However, approximately 30% of patients have advanced staged disease at presentation and 20% will develop it at some time. These patients have a poorer prognosis with a median survival of 2-4 years. The only curative option for mycosis fungoides may be hematopoietic allogeneic stem cell transplantation. We report the case of a patient with mycosis fungoides in an advanced stage (IIB), refractory to treatment options. She underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The patient remains in complete remission nineteen months after allo-HSCT. Allogeneic transplantation can alter the natural history of mycosis fungoides and should be considered in patients who have refractory disease or short-lived responses with standard therapies.

Micose Fungoide é tipicamente uma doença indolente em estágios iniciais. No entanto, aproximadamente 30% dos pacientes têm doença avançada na apresentação e 20% irão desenvolvê-la em algum momento. Esses pacientes têm um pior prognóstico com uma sobrevida média de dois a quatro anos. A única possibilidade de cura é o transplante alogênico de células-tronco hematopoiéticas. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente com micose fungoide em estágio avançado (IIB), refratária às opções terapêuticas e que foi submetida a um transplante alogênico de células-tronco hematopoiéticas. A paciente permanece em remissão completa 19 meses após o procedimento. O transplante alogênico é capaz de mudar a história natural da micose fungoide e deve ser considerado em pacientes com doença avançada e refratária aos tratamentos disponíveis.

Es posible curar a un paciente con micosis fungoides? Informe de un caso / Is it possible to cure a patient with mycosis fungoides? A case report

La micosis fungoides y el síndrome de Sezary están constituidos por un grupo de linfomas no Hodgkin indolentes, extranodales, con origen en linfocitos T; afectan la piel de manera primaria; son generalmente incurables y los pacientes tienen mal pronóstico porque la enfermedad es habitualmente refractaria a diversas modalidades terapéuticas. El trasplante de médula ósea alogénico es una opción terapéutica más. La alta mortalidad del acondicionamiento pretrasplante convencional ha hecho que se considere el trasplante alogénico con acondicionamiento de intensidad reducida como una opción viable para esta enfermedad. Se presenta el caso de una paciente con micosis fungoides a quien se hizo un trasplante hematopoyético con un esquema no mieloablativo y en quien se logró remisión completa sostenida de la enfermedad.

Sezary syndrome (SS) and mycosis fungoides (MF) are a group of non Hodgkin lymphomas that originate from T-lymphocytes and involve mostly the skin. These entities are generally non treatable and patient prognosis remains poor even with the advent of current treatment schedules. Complete remissions are seldom observed. For this reason, bone marrow transplant has been used as a treatment option. The high mortality associated with this procedure has turned reduced intensity conditioning stem cell transplant into a treatment option. This case study illustrates how stem cell transplant offers complete remission of this type of lymphomas.