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Lymphoma is a disease that affects the lymphatic system of the body, causing an excessive production of different types of cells. The presence in excess of dysfunctional, malignant cells can cause a lot of damage to the organism. Due to their abnormally fast rate of multiplication, the dysfunctional cells accumulate in different regions of the lymphatic system (lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils), causing inflammation and pronounced swelling. There are many forms of lymphoma, and each type of disease has a different pattern of progression, generating a wide range of symptoms. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a type of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma which primarily affects the skin. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma can either affect the superficial layers of the skin or it can spread to deeper levels of the derma. It is important to note that cutaneous T-cell is not confined to the skin; as the disease progresses, it can become systemic, affecting the body on multiple levels.
Although the actual causes of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma remain unknown, medical scientists believe that both genetic and environmental factors play major roles in the occurrence and the progression of the disease. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma seems to occur on the background of a compromised immune system, and it commonly affects people with HIV. Other categories of risk are: people who have followed prolonged chemotherapy or medical treatments for cancer (treatments with immunosupressants) and people who have suffered surgical interventions (organ transplant).
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a common subtype of cutaneous lymphoma, affecting the production of helper T lymphocytes. These cells have a very important role in protecting the organism from infectious agents and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma causes an overproduction of similar, but dysfunctional cells, which can’t act as their normal counterparts. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma usually evolves slowly, generating more intense symptoms at advanced stages of disease. However, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma has an unpredictable pattern of evolution and in some cases the disease can rapidly spread throughout the entire body.
The clinical signs of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma are inflammation, swelling and lesions on the surface of the skin. The disease generally affects small patches of skin, although in some cases it can even cause tumors of the lymphatic system’s tissues and organs. At the skin level, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma can resemble a wide range of benign disorders (non-cancerous), such as psoriasis, eczema or dermatitis. Due to this fact, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma can easily be mistaken for a localized non-cancerous skin disorder if the disease is diagnosed only upon clinical signs. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma can be correctly diagnosed only through the means of elaborate blood tests and laboratory analysis of skin samples. The process of diagnosing the disease often requires a biopsy of the affected tissues, medical procedure that can confirm the presence of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Medical treatments and therapies available today can effectively overcome cutaneous T-cell lymphoma if the disease is discovered in time. However, for patients who develop systemic forms of the disease, the prognosis is usually uncertain, as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is very difficult to treat at more advanced stages. The medical treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma usually involves local chemotherapy, exposure to ultraviolet light and exposure to electro beam radiation.
By: Groshan Fabiola
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