About CTCL

The more you understand CTCL, the better you can treat it and get on with your life.

"CTCL" is a short name for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. It is a rare skin disease. In CTCL, T-cells become cancerous and affect the skin. Normally T-cells are used by the body to fight infections.

There are several types of CTCL. The two most common are:

• Mycosis fungoides [my-KOH-sis fun-GOY-deez] is the most common form of CTCL. It is a low-grade cancer that affects the skin.
• Sézary syndrome [say-zah-REE SIN-drome] is a leukemic form of CTCL, which means that it is diagnosed by detecting the number of Sézary cells in the blood.

CTCL is twice as common in men than women. People over 50 are more likely to have CTCL. There are about 16,000 to 20,000 cases in the U.S. and about 1,500 new cases each year. CTCL is not contagious and it cannot be passed from one person to another.

There is no cure for CTCL. If you are diagnosed with CTCL, you do have treatment options.