Mycosis Fungoides

Mycosis Fungoides is a form of lymph cancer characterized by scaly skin patches. Mycosis Fungoides progresses over several years to form elevated skin lesions and then tumors. It is very difficult to determine if someone has mycosis fungoides, usually several biopsies are required over a number of years before the diagnosis can be made. In mycosis fungoides the blood lymphoma stays mostly in the skin. Mycosis fungoides is rare and, for many sufferers, it does not affect the quality of life or life expectancy. 

Mycosis Fungoides is a type of Lymphoma (cancer of the lymph cells) that involves the skin. In most cases, Mycosis Fungoides is very slow growing (over many years). In individuals with Mycosis Fungoides, the skin becomes infiltrated with plaques and nodules that are composed of lymphocytes.

Causes of Mycosis Fungoides

Mycosis Fungoides often causes a groove in the nail, a few millimetres across which extends the length of the nail.

Lymphoma

Symptoms of Mycosis Fungoides

Itching is the main symptom for many patients. Here are the list of some of the rare Symptoms of Mycosis Fungoides:

• Red scaly skin rash
• Itchy rash
• Spreading skin rash
• Buttock skin rash
• Shoulder skin rash
• Back skin rash
• Skin ulcers
• Lumpy skin

Treatment of Mycosis Fungoides

Treatments which may be successful include:

Treatment is temporarily effective, and may need to be continued for quite a while. There is no cure for mycosis fungoides.

Your doctor may prescribe steroid creams or ointments to relieve the itching that may occur, and this may be the only treatment needed. Steroids are safe to use, if put on correctly, as advised by your doctor or nurses at the dermatology department.

Ultraviolet light (PUVA) will often help control the condition. This involves coming to the office two to three times a week for ten to fifteen minutes.

Mild mycosis fungoides can be treated effectively with cortisone ointments.

Radiotherapy of Mycosis Fungoides: if large thickened patches occur, radiotherapy can be given to them using low voltage radiation. This method is used to treat individual areas, in contrast to the approach with PUVA - which treats the whole skin surface.

Nitrogen mustard, a chemotherapy drug, is sometimes applied to the skin to control mycosis fungoides.

Photochemotherapy or photopheresis is a technique used at major medical centers for the treatment of mycosis fungoides.