Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a white blood cells cancer which usually tends to affect the skin and secondarily other parts of the body. The condition known as mycosis fungoides appears as itchy dark patches on the skin which become mushroom shaped tumors over the time. In addition to this, this illness involves the uncontrollable proliferation of t-lymphocytes known as T helper cells which usually result in the penetration, or infiltration of these abnormal cells into the epidermal layer of the skin. The affection usually appears on the trunk but may also spread on other parts of the body producing deep, red palpable plaques. Moreover, some people present severe forms of CTCL known as Sezary syndrome and appear as shrunken or lichenified skin, swollen lymph nodes and large numbers of abnormal cells circulating the blood.

Furthermore, CTCL is a rare affection which is very common in Eastern Europe and usually infects both men and women that are between 55 to 60 years. Even though the causes of CTCL are not totally known and the studies don't show a clear information, it is considered that this disease may occur due to viral causes and not because of the exposure to chemicals or pesticides. The most common symptoms of CTCL are the presence of itchy red patches or plaques which usually become mushroom-shaped skin tumors. Moreover, if the affection spreads on other parts of the skin, the symptoms tend to be more severe and include swelling of the lymph nodes, disorders of the lungs, upper digestive tract, central nervous system or liver.

Even though many people ask for medical help when they notice an unusual itching, CTCL may be hard to diagnose due to its resemblance with other skin affections such as rashes of eczema, psoriasis and contact dermatitis. So, this illness can be discovered when a specialists performs a serie of tests such as multiple skin biopsies. By doing a biopsy, it can be showed the retention of CD4+ protein and by using Southern blot analysis the abnormal cells can also show unusual rearrangements at the genetic level for the gene that encodes the T-cell receptors. What is more is that CTCL diagnosis can be confirmed by the combination between the information from the molecular tests and the presence of abnormal cells in the epidermis.





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