What Is Mycosis Fungoides Sezary Syndrome?

1. UNIVERSITY CANCER CENTERS • universitycancercenters.com

2. MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES SEZARY SYNDROME: SYMPTOMS, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

3. Mycosis Fungoides Sezary Syndrome is relatively uncommon and a fast-growing cancer. This cancer affects both skin and blood. Sezary syndrome might appear like eczema or other common skin conditions in the early stages. Doctors say it might be associated with a virus, genetics, or exposure to a chemical. More often, people in their 50s and 60s are more susceptible to this condition. Men are twice at risk of the syndrome than women. • A typical healthcare practitioner may not treat cancer. However, they can offer treatments and medications to improve your mycosis fungoides sezary syndrome symptoms. This guide walks you through everything related to mycosis fungoides sezary syndrome, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and more.

4. WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES SEZARY SYNDROME? • The most visible sign of this syndrome is a distinctive red rash. It hurts, itches, and spreads too swiftly. The earliest symptoms may appear similar to psoriasis or eczema. When the syndrome worsens, the sufferer may develop small, raised bumps on the skin. There can also be chances your skin looks harder or thicker than others (plaque). The person may potentially get skin tumors.Other symptoms might be: • Fatigue • Eyelids that turn outward • Swelling in your lower legs • Unexplained weight loss • Swollen lymph nodes • Hair loss • Fever

5. HOW IS A SEZARY SYNDROME DIAGNOSED? • A doctor will carry out a physical test and evaluate your signs. In addition to that, they will ask questions about your health history. If they say that you are suffering from Sézary syndrome, here are the tests that they might conduct: • Blood Tests • In a blood test, along with a complete blood count with a differential, the percentages of various white blood cells will be checked. It even includes a sezary blood count to check the number of sezary cells in the blood and a peripheral blood smear. • Biopsies • The healthcare provider might also carry out the biopsies of your skin, bone marrow, or lymph nodes.

6. Immunotyping • Immunotyping examines cell surfaces for indicators to detect various forms of lymphomas. For performing immunotyping, the provider uses a blood or tissue sample. • Other Tests • If blood and lab testing reveal the signs of Sézary syndrome, the doctor may carry out other tests to check whether the cancer has spread. Chest X-rays, CT scans, and positron emission tomography (PET) scans are some of the probable tests. • MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES VS. SEZARY SYNDROME • Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are two different cutaneous T-cell lymphoma types. In terms of symptoms, both conditions are almost the same. But, mycosis fungoides show more red skin rashes compared to sézary syndrome. • Sézary syndrome is also believed to be a variant of mycosis fungoides, even though they are two different forms of conditions. T-cell lymphocytes turn cancerous and impact skin cells in both cases. The signs of mycosis fungoides only show on the skin.

7. If the patient’s blood has cancerous T-cells, they are known as Sézary cells. The condition is referred to as Sézary syndrome. Sézary syndrome involves the skin and cells that move through the bloodstream. Cancer cells can be detected in lymph nodes and other tissues of the tissues. • AREAS WHERE MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES SEZARY SYNDROME OCCURS • People with mycosis fungoides sezary syndrome often develop skin rashes from head to toe. Treatment may become necessary in this situation. The most common areas of mycosis fungoides sezary syndrome occurrence can be: • Upper thighs • Armpits • Crook of the elbow • Breasts • Groin • It may be quite rare, but the cancerous cells can spread to organs like the spleen, lungs, liver, and lymph nodes.

8. WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES SEZARY SYNDROME? • As per research, Sézary syndrome affects 0.1 per million people. Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas impact about ten people in a million. • What exactly causes Sézary syndrome is still unexplored. But, the majority of people who develop the syndrome experience chromosomal defects in the DNA of cancer cells. These anomalies are not there in healthy cells. • A majority of people suffering from mycosis fungoides sezary syndrome experience at least one chromosomal abnormality. This may result in genetic hiccups that allow cell growth and multiplication without control. Usually, somebody who has mycosis fungoides has additional DNA in regions of chromosomes 7 and 17. Other times, they might suffer a loss of DNA from regions of chromosomes 9 and 10.

9. TREATMENT FOR MYCOSIS FUNGOIDES SEZARY SYNDROME • Here are some effective treatments your doctor may recommend for Mycosis Fungoides Sezary Syndrome. But that may depend on your signs and symptoms. The treatments can be: • Radiation Therapy • The therapy includes external radiation therapy or complete skin electron beam radiation therapy. Radiation therapy utilizes high-energy X-rays and other sorts of radiation to combat cancerous cells. Healthcare professionals sometimes use total skin electron beam radiation therapy for treating Mycosis Fungoides Sezary Syndrome. • Total skin electron beam radiation therapy is a sort of external radiation therapy machine that directs electrons to the whole body’s skin. One can go for external radiation treatment to receive palliative care and reduce symptoms. Therefore, it can ultimately improve the quality of life.

10. Chemotherapy • Healthcare practitioners may employ topical chemotherapy, which is administered to the skin, or systemic chemotherapy. This affects the entire body of the patient. A systemic chemotherapeutic treatment is a vorinostat. • Chemotherapy uses drugs to prevent the occurrence of cancer-developing cells. They either combat these cells or stop them from spreading or multiplying. If the chemotherapy is given externally or orally, the drugs will either go through the bloodstream or may reach the cancerous cells. • Phototherapy • Providers may even use extracorporeal photopheresis to treat the condition. This entails the collection of white blood cells (WBCs) and exposure of the cells to UV light. Photopheresis or UV phototherapy can also be used. • In phototherapy, light waves are used to cure the condition. The skin of the patient will face ultraviolet rays for a specified amount of time. The UV rays will shut down the skin’s immune system cells. Before the therapy, the doctor would ask you to remove any clothing covering your affected skin area. The areas which don’t need phototherapy must be fully covered.

11. Targeted Therapy • Providers may use targeted therapy to cure the condition. Monoclonal antibody therapy is an example of targeted therapy. They will use certain drugs or other substances to detect and eradicate cancerous cells. In general, compared to chemotherapy or radiation therapy, targeted therapies may result in damaging normal cells. • Immunotherapy • The doctors use the patient’s immune system to combat cancer during immunotherapy. Our body offers protection against cancer with its natural defenses. They strengthen, direct, or repair using substances produced by the body or in a laboratory. Immunotherapy is a type of biological therapy. A few biological therapies stimulate or suppress the patient’s immune system to aid the body in combating cancer. Others attack certain cancerous cells to stop their growth. These therapies can even alleviate the adverse effects that some cancer treatments incur.

12. Other Drug Therapies • The other potential treatments include the use of drugs like corticosteroids, retinoid creams, or gels like bexarotene. The practitioners use topical corticosteroids to ease signs like skin swelling or inflammation. These are available in the form of lotion, ointment, or cream. Lenalidomide is another medication that aids the immune system in warding off aberrant blood cells or cancerous cells. This may even stop tumors from growing new blood vessels. • CONCLUSION • Mycosis Fungoides Sezary Syndrome might be an aggressive cancer. So, you must visit an expert physician and get therapy. This will ensure you get the ideal control of your signs and the best possible prognosis. • Are you having mycosis fungoides sezary syndrome symptoms? Do you need proper guidance on how to deal with the condition? At University Cancer Centers, you can expect to get the same. We are a safe haven for every cancer patient out there. From precise diagnosis to necessary assistance, we are there for you.