Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsTypesStagesDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Types
Stages
Diagnosis
Treatment
Skin (cutaneous) lymphomas often manifest as a skin rash. Although usually identified early, skin lymphomas can be mistaken for other skin conditions, delaying diagnosis.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) occurs when lymphocytes called T cells and B cells become cancerous. Although there are many subtypes of lymphoma, skin lymphomas only make up about 4% of the total of all NHL.
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Skin lymphomas often appear as askin rash. In fact, they can easily be mistaken for other skin conditions such asdermatitis,psoriasis,eczema, or skin infections.
Here are some symptoms of skin lymphoma:
Types of Skin Lymphomas
T-Cell Skin Lymphoma
CutaneousT-cell lymphoma(CTCL) occurs when a mutation causes the cell to divide too quickly and stay alive too long. The accumulation of T cells forms tumors and lesions in the skin. CTCL affects more men than women.
There are different types of T-cell lymphoma, including:
B-Cell Skin Lymphoma
Cutaneous B-cell lymphoma(CBCL), also occurs when a mutation develops in the cell.The mutation instructs the cell to divide rapidly and allows it to live longer than it should. This process causes an accumulation of B cells, resulting inskin tumorsand lesions.
Lymphoma Tumor GradeTumor grade describes how a tumor looks under a microscope. If the tumor’s cells look close to normal, the tumor is considered low grade and is less aggressive. If the tumor cells look highly abnormal, it is high grade and more aggressive. The tumor grade is different than the stage.
Lymphoma Tumor Grade
Tumor grade describes how a tumor looks under a microscope. If the tumor’s cells look close to normal, the tumor is considered low grade and is less aggressive. If the tumor cells look highly abnormal, it is high grade and more aggressive. The tumor grade is different than the stage.
Like other cancers, skin lymphoma progresses through stages. The stage of the disease affects how it is treated and what the overall prognosis is.
Staging Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome
These two types are staged based on four criteria:
The stages are further categorized with a number that represents the appearance of the cancer, how much skin it covers, the appearance of the lymph nodes and cells, and the number of cells in the blood.
The cancer will be assigned a stage grouping between I and IV depending on the values for T, N, M, and B.
Staging Other Types of Skin Lymphoma
Other types of skin lymphoma are staged similarly:
The stages are further categorized with an a, b, or c to describe the size and number of lesions, where the affected lymph nodes are located, and how far the cancer has spread.
Skin lymphomas are usually identified in the early stages. However, diagnosis can be delayed since skin lymphomas mimic other skin conditions. CTCLs are more common than CBCLs but can be more difficult to diagnose.
Once a skin lymphoma is suspected, the steps to diagnosis include:
Although it’s stressful waiting for the test results, it’s important to know what type of skin lymphoma you have and if it has traveled to other parts of your body.
What can be mistaken for skin lymphoma?Skin lymphomas are often misdiagnosed as dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, or skin infections. Breast cancer may be suspected for women who develop a new rash on one of their breasts.
What can be mistaken for skin lymphoma?
Skin lymphomas are often misdiagnosed as dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema, or skin infections. Breast cancer may be suspected for women who develop a new rash on one of their breasts.
Treatment for skin lymphoma depends on the type of lymphoma, what stage it is, your symptoms, your medical history, and your current state of health.
Some CBCLs can be low grade (less aggressive), with an excellent prognosis, while others can be high grade (very aggressive) and require intensecancer treatment. High-grade CBCLs often recur (come back) even after treatment.
Similarly, some CTCLs are low-grade (not aggressive) and require very little treatment, while others can be high-grade (very aggressive) and need immediate treatment.
Skin lymphoma treatments include:
Is skin lymphoma curable?Most skin lymphomas have an excellent prognosis. However, there are more aggressive types that require intense cancer treatment. Although rare, some skin lymphomas can spread and eventually cause death.
Is skin lymphoma curable?
Most skin lymphomas have an excellent prognosis. However, there are more aggressive types that require intense cancer treatment. Although rare, some skin lymphomas can spread and eventually cause death.
Summary
Skin lymphomas develop from cancerous white blood cells called B cells and T cells. Although skin lymphomas are usually identified early, they are often mistaken for other skin conditions, delaying diagnosis. Slow-growing skin lymphomas have an excellent prognosis, while aggressive types can be difficult to treat and often recur (come back).
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.Key statistics for lymphoma of the skin.Lima M.Cutaneous primary B-cell lymphomas: From diagnosis to treatment.An Bras Dermatol. 2015;90(5):687-706.American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of skin lymphoma.Wilcox RA.Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: 2017 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management.Am J Hematol. 2017;92(10):1085-1102. doi:org/10.1002/ajh.24876National Library of Medicine.Mycosis fungoides.National Library of Medicine.Sézary syndrome.Lymphoma Research Foundation.Cutaneous B-cell lymphoma.National Cancer Institute.Tumor grade.American Cancer Society.Lymphoma of the skin stages.American Cancer Society.Tests for lymphoma of the skin.Esau D.Viral causes of lymphoma: the history of epstein-barr virus and human t-lymphotropic virus 1.Virology (Auckl). 2017;8:1178122X17731772. doi:10.1177/1178122x17731772American Cancer Society.Skin-directed treatments for skin lymphomas.American Cancer Society.Whole-body (systemic) treatments for skin lymphomas.Bobrowicz M, Fassnacht C, Ignatova D, Chang YT, Dimitriou F, Guenova E.Pathogenesis and therapy of primary cutaneous t-cell lymphoma: collegium internationale allergologicum (Cia) update 2020.IAA. 2020;181(10):733-745. doi: org/10.1159/000509281
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Cancer Society.Key statistics for lymphoma of the skin.Lima M.Cutaneous primary B-cell lymphomas: From diagnosis to treatment.An Bras Dermatol. 2015;90(5):687-706.American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of skin lymphoma.Wilcox RA.Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: 2017 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management.Am J Hematol. 2017;92(10):1085-1102. doi:org/10.1002/ajh.24876National Library of Medicine.Mycosis fungoides.National Library of Medicine.Sézary syndrome.Lymphoma Research Foundation.Cutaneous B-cell lymphoma.National Cancer Institute.Tumor grade.American Cancer Society.Lymphoma of the skin stages.American Cancer Society.Tests for lymphoma of the skin.Esau D.Viral causes of lymphoma: the history of epstein-barr virus and human t-lymphotropic virus 1.Virology (Auckl). 2017;8:1178122X17731772. doi:10.1177/1178122x17731772American Cancer Society.Skin-directed treatments for skin lymphomas.American Cancer Society.Whole-body (systemic) treatments for skin lymphomas.Bobrowicz M, Fassnacht C, Ignatova D, Chang YT, Dimitriou F, Guenova E.Pathogenesis and therapy of primary cutaneous t-cell lymphoma: collegium internationale allergologicum (Cia) update 2020.IAA. 2020;181(10):733-745. doi: org/10.1159/000509281
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Cancer Society.Key statistics for lymphoma of the skin.Lima M.Cutaneous primary B-cell lymphomas: From diagnosis to treatment.An Bras Dermatol. 2015;90(5):687-706.American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of skin lymphoma.Wilcox RA.Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: 2017 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management.Am J Hematol. 2017;92(10):1085-1102. doi:org/10.1002/ajh.24876National Library of Medicine.Mycosis fungoides.National Library of Medicine.Sézary syndrome.Lymphoma Research Foundation.Cutaneous B-cell lymphoma.National Cancer Institute.Tumor grade.American Cancer Society.Lymphoma of the skin stages.American Cancer Society.Tests for lymphoma of the skin.Esau D.Viral causes of lymphoma: the history of epstein-barr virus and human t-lymphotropic virus 1.Virology (Auckl). 2017;8:1178122X17731772. doi:10.1177/1178122x17731772American Cancer Society.Skin-directed treatments for skin lymphomas.American Cancer Society.Whole-body (systemic) treatments for skin lymphomas.Bobrowicz M, Fassnacht C, Ignatova D, Chang YT, Dimitriou F, Guenova E.Pathogenesis and therapy of primary cutaneous t-cell lymphoma: collegium internationale allergologicum (Cia) update 2020.IAA. 2020;181(10):733-745. doi: org/10.1159/000509281
American Cancer Society.Key statistics for lymphoma of the skin.
Lima M.Cutaneous primary B-cell lymphomas: From diagnosis to treatment.An Bras Dermatol. 2015;90(5):687-706.
American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of skin lymphoma.
Wilcox RA.Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: 2017 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management.Am J Hematol. 2017;92(10):1085-1102. doi:org/10.1002/ajh.24876
National Library of Medicine.Mycosis fungoides.
National Library of Medicine.Sézary syndrome.
Lymphoma Research Foundation.Cutaneous B-cell lymphoma.
National Cancer Institute.Tumor grade.
American Cancer Society.Lymphoma of the skin stages.
American Cancer Society.Tests for lymphoma of the skin.
Esau D.Viral causes of lymphoma: the history of epstein-barr virus and human t-lymphotropic virus 1.Virology (Auckl). 2017;8:1178122X17731772. doi:10.1177/1178122x17731772
American Cancer Society.Skin-directed treatments for skin lymphomas.
American Cancer Society.Whole-body (systemic) treatments for skin lymphomas.
Bobrowicz M, Fassnacht C, Ignatova D, Chang YT, Dimitriou F, Guenova E.Pathogenesis and therapy of primary cutaneous t-cell lymphoma: collegium internationale allergologicum (Cia) update 2020.IAA. 2020;181(10):733-745. doi: org/10.1159/000509281
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