Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides True lymphoma or T-cell dyscrasia: A Retrospective and prospective cohort study

Overview

The most common CTCL in children is hypopigmented mycosis fungoides (HMF). Since its first description a large number of HMF cases were reported to have unusual clinical and pathological findings, questioning the true nature of HMF as CTCL. It has been suggested to separate HMF from MF and to define those cases as cutaneous T cell lymphoid dyscrasias (CTLD), with dyscrasia representing an abnormal or unbalanced state rather than true cancer. Our hypothesis is that a subset of patients with MF, particularly those with a HMF, could be reclassified as hypopigmented T-cell dyscrasia. We propose to conduct a retrospective and prospective cohort study to determine whether childhood HMF is a CTCL or CTLD.
Expanding our understanding regarding presentation, pathological patterns, clinical course, management and follow ups will enable physicians to label these patients correctly and alleviate a lot of the anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis.

Status

This project was funded through a 2022 PeDRA Research Fellowship Grant.