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This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the treatment of mycosis fungoides (including Sézary Syndrome). It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") is the date of the most recent change. The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Adult Treatment Editorial Board.
CONTENTS
- General Information About Mycosis Fungoides (Including Sézary Syndrome)
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Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are diseases in which lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) become malignant (cancerous) and affect the skin.
Normally, the bone marrow makes blood stem cells (immature cells) that become mature blood stem cells over time. A blood stem cell may become a myeloid stem cell or a lymphoid stem cell. A myeloid stem cell becomes a red blood cell, white blood cell, or platelet. A lymphoid stem cell becomes a lymphoblast and then one of three types of lymphocytes (white blood cells):
Blood cell development. A blood stem cell goes through several steps to become a red blood cell, platelet, or white blood cell. In mycosis fungoides, T-cell lymphocytes become cancerous and affect the skin. When these lymphocytes occur in the blood, they are called Sézary cells. In Sézary syndrome, cancerous T-cell lymphocytes affect the skin and large numbers of Sézary cells are found in the blood.
Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are types of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are the two most common types of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma). For information about other types of skin cancer or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, see the following PDQ summaries:
A sign of mycosis fungoides is a red rash on the skin.
Mycosis fungoides may go through the following phases:
Check with your doctor if you have any of these signs.
In Sézary syndrome, cancerous T-cells are found in the blood.
Also, skin all over the body is reddened, itchy, peeling, and painful. There may also be patches, plaques, or tumors on the skin. It is not known if Sézary syndrome is an advanced form of mycosis fungoides or a separate disease.
Tests that examine the skin and blood are used to diagnose mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome.
The following tests and procedures may be used:
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
The prognosis and treatment options depend on the following:
Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are hard to cure. Treatment is usually palliative, to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life. Patients with early stage disease may live many years.
- Stages of Mycosis Fungoides (Including Sézary Syndrome)
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After mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome have been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread from the skin to other parts of the body.
The process used to find out if cancer has spread from the skin to other parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment.
The following procedures may be used in the staging process:
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:
Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.
The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if mycosis fungoides spreads to the liver, the cancer cells in the liver are actually mycosis fungoides cells. The disease is metastatic mycosis fungoides, not liver cancer.
The following stages are used for mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome:
Stage I Mycosis Fungoides
Stage I is divided into stages IA and IB as follows:
Stage II Mycosis Fungoides
Stage II is divided into stages IIA and IIB as follows:
Stage III Mycosis Fungoides
In stage III, 80% or more of the skin surface is reddened and may have patches, papules, plaques, or tumors. Lymph nodes may be abnormal, but they are not cancerous.
Stage IV Mycosis Fungoides/Sézary Syndrome
When there is a high number of Sézary cells in the blood, the disease is called Sézary syndrome.
Stage IV is divided into stages IVA1, IVA2, and IVB as follows:
Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome can recur (come back) after they have been treated.
Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome may come back in the skin or in other parts of the body, such as the spleen or liver.
- Treatment Option Overview
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There are different types of treatment for patients with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome cancer.
Different types of treatment are available for patients with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Seven types of standard treatment are used:
Photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy is a cancer treatment that uses a drug and a certain type of laser light to kill cancer cells. A drug that is not active until it is exposed to light is injected into a vein. The drug collects more in cancer cells than in normal cells. For skin cancer, laser light is shined onto the skin and the drug becomes active and kills the cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy causes little damage to healthy tissue. Patients undergoing photodynamic therapy will need to limit the amount of time spent in sunlight. There are different types of photodynamic therapy:
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the area of the body with cancer. Sometimes, total skin electron beam (TSEB) radiation therapy is used to treat mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. This is a type of external radiation treatment in which a radiation therapy machine aims electrons (tiny, invisible particles) at the skin covering the whole body. External radiation therapy may also be used as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
Ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation therapy or ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation therapy may be given using a special lamp or laser that directs radiation at the skin.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). Sometimes the chemotherapy is topical (put on the skin in a cream, lotion, or ointment).
See Drugs Approved for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for more information. (Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.)
Other drug therapy
Topical corticosteroids are used to relieve red, swollen, and inflamed skin. They are a type of steroid. Topical corticosteroids may be in a cream, lotion, or ointment.
Retinoids, such as bexarotene, are drugs related to vitamin A that can slow the growth of certain types of cancer cells. The retinoids may be taken by mouth or put on the skin.
Lenalidomide is a drug that helps the immune system kill abnormal blood cells or cancer cells and may prevent the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow.
Vorinostat and romidepsin are two of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors used to treat mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. HDAC inhibitors cause a chemical change that stops tumor cells from dividing.
See Drugs Approved for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for more information. (Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.)
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient's immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against cancer. This cancer treatment is a type of biologic therapy.
See Drugs Approved for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma for more information. (Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.)
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific cancer cells. Targeted therapies usually cause less harm to normal cells than chemotherapy or radiation therapy do.
High-dose chemotherapy and radiation therapy with stem cell transplant
High doses of chemotherapy and sometimes radiation therapy are given to kill cancer cells. Healthy cells, including blood-forming cells, are also destroyed by the cancer treatment. Stem cell transplant is a treatment to replace the blood-forming cells. Stem cells (immature blood cells) are removed from the blood or bone marrow of the patient or a donor and are frozen and stored. After the patient completes chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the stored stem cells are thawed and given back to the patient through an infusion. These reinfused stem cells grow into (and restore) the body's blood cells.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
This summary section describes treatments that are being studied in clinical trials. It may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy
Immune checkpoint inhibitor. Checkpoint proteins, such as PD-L1 on tumor cells and PD-1 on T cells, help keep immune responses in check. The binding of PD-L1 to PD-1 keeps T cells from killing tumor cells in the body (left panel). Blocking the binding of PD-L1 to PD-1 with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (anti-PD-L1 or anti-PD-1) allows the T cells to kill tumor cells (right panel). Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
Treatment for mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome may cause side effects.
For information about side effects caused by treatment for cancer, see our Side Effects page.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information about clinical trials supported by NCI can be found on NCI’s clinical trials search webpage. Clinical trials supported by other organizations can be found on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the stage of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests.
Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups.
- Treatment of Stage I and Stage II Mycosis Fungoides
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For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
Treatment of newly diagnosed stage I and stage II mycosis fungoides may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
- Treatment of Stage III and Stage IV Mycosis Fungoides (Including Sézary Syndrome)
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For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
Treatment of newly diagnosed stage III and stage IV mycosis fungoides including Sézary syndrome is palliative (to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life) and may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
- Treatment of Recurrent Mycosis Fungoides (Including Sézary Syndrome)
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For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
Treatment of recurrent mycosis fungoides including Sézary syndrome may be within a clinical trial and may include the following:
Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
- To Learn More About Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome
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For more information from the National Cancer Institute about mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome, see the following:
For general cancer information and other resources from the National Cancer Institute, see the following:
- About This PDQ Summary
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About PDQ
Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.
PDQ is a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the federal government’s center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. They are not policy statements of the NCI or the NIH.
Purpose of This Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the treatment of mycosis fungoides (including Sézary Syndrome). It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Reviewers and Updates
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Updated") is the date of the most recent change.
The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Adult Treatment Editorial Board.
Clinical Trial Information
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Clinical trials can be found online at NCI's website. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service (CIS), NCI's contact center, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
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PDQ® Adult Treatment Editorial Board. PDQ Mycosis Fungoides (Including Sézary Syndrome) Treatment. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Updated <MM/DD/YYYY>. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/lymphoma/patient/mycosis-fungoides-treatment-pdq. Accessed <MM/DD/YYYY>. [PMID: 26389317]
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