Multidisciplinary Approach to Treating CTCL

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08/09/23

Auris Huen, MD, PharmD, Assistant Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Department of Dermatology discusses a multidisciplinary approach to CTCL. Although treatment of early-stage CTCL is often managed primarily by dermatologists, advanced disease is ideally treated by a multidisciplinary team of dermatologists, haematologists/oncologists and supporting team members, including radiation oncologists, primary-care doctors, nurses, social workers and nutritionists.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma belongs to the non-Hodgkin lymphoma class of hematologic T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a rare group of malignancies, with an incidence of 6.4 cases per 1 million people. This form of T-cell lymphoma represents around 70% of primary cutaneous lymphomas.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma attacks the the body’s immune system, specifically, the lymphatic system, affecting the two types of white blood cells (lymphocytes): B-cells and T-cells. Whereas the B-lymphocytes act to neutralize the pathogens, the main job of the T-lymphocytes is to attach to these foreign cells, viruses, or cancerous growths, and directly destroy them.