Mycosis fungoides: Classic disease and variant presentations

Mycosis fungoides is a peripheral non-Hodgkin's T-cell neoplastic process, representing the most common type of primary cutaneous malignant lymphoma. Neoplastic lesions classically show skin predilection and characteristic cl inical and histologic features in patch, plaque, and tumor stages. In addit ion. several clinicopathologic variants of mycosis fungoides have been deli neated. including poikiloderma atrophicans vasculare (parapsoriasis variega ta), Sezary syndrome, granulomatous mycosis fungoides, hypopigmented mycosi s fungoides, folliculocentric mycosis fungoides, syringotropic mycosis fung oides, and Woringer Kolopp disease. We will review the salient features of patch, plaque, and tumor stage mycosis fungoides in this article and follow with a discussion of these variant clinicopathologic presentations and of therapeutic modalities. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.