Can you live with mycosis fungoides?
Patients with stage IA-disease have an excellent prognosis with an overall long-term life expectancy that is similar to an age-, sex-, and race-matched control population. Almost all patients with stage IA MF will die from causes other than MF, with a median survival >33 years.
Can you survive Sezary syndrome?
Median survival for patients with Sezary syndrome has been reported to be 2 to 4 years after development of the condition, although survival has improved with newer treatments. The disease-specific 5-year survival rate has been reported to be 24%.
How does mycosis fungoides progress?
According to the major textbooks, MF is an indolent type of CTCL that slowly evolves through patch, plaque, and tumor stages before lymph nodes and visceral organs become involved, and ultimately a rapidly progressive and fatal disease develops.
Does Mycosis fungoides always progress?
Mycosis fungoides usually occurs in adults over age 50, although affected children have been identified. Mycosis fungoides may progress slowly through several stages, although not all people with the condition progress through all stages.
Is sézary syndrome fatal?
Sézary syndrome has features of both an aggressive and chronic lymphoma. Short of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, the disease is not felt to be curable and survival is shortened for most affected patients. However, there are multiple therapies with response rates in the 30 to 50% range.
Is mycosis fungoides malignant?
Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are diseases in which lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) become malignant (cancerous) and affect the skin. Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are types of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
How does mycosis fungoides start?
The cause of mycosis fungoides is unknown. Most affected individuals have one or more chromosomal abnormalities, such as the loss or gain of genetic material. These abnormalities occur during a person’s lifetime and are found only in the DNA of cancerous cells.
What is the prognosis of mycosis fungoides?
Mycosis Fungoides. There is no curative therapy and no clear difference in overall survival (OS) among the treatment options for patients with stage III and stage IV disease. The use of single alkylating agents has produced objective responses in 60% of patients, with a duration of less than 6 months.
Is there a cure for mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome?
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.
What tests are used to diagnose Sézary syndrome and mycosis fungoides?
In Sézary syndrome, cancerous T-cells are found in the blood. Tests that examine the skin and blood are used to diagnose mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
What type of radiation is used to treat mycosis fungoides?
Radiation therapy. 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.