The most common blood tests ordered when a patient is first diagnosed with cutaneous lymphoma are complete blood count (CBC), which includes the number of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, and a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), which measures electrolytes, liver and kidney function.
Blood tests
They are not used to diagnose lymphoma, but they can sometimes help determine how advanced the lymphoma is. They may also be used during certain types of treatment (such as chemotherapy) to monitor how well the bone marrow and other organs are functioning.
Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH): This test can detect a protein released by damaged cells. Other blood tests: Blood tests can also measure chemicals that show how organs such as the liver and kidneys are functioning. This can help determine whether lymphoma has spread to those parts of the body.
The lesions are often itchy, scaly, and red to purple. The lymphoma might show up as more than one type of lesion and on different parts of the skin (often in areas not exposed to the sun). Some skin lymphomas appear as a rash over some or most of the body (known as erythroderma).
This lymphoma usually stays confined to the skin. It can come back after treatment, but it seldom spreads inside the body and is rarely fatal. If it's not causing symptoms, it can often be monitored closely without needing to be treated right away. The skin lesions may even go away on their own, without any treatment.
Skin lymphoma can mimic many other conditions, such as dermatitis or psoriasis.
Many types of CTCL start as flat red patches on the skin, which can sometimes be itchy. With darker skin, the patches may appear lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. In the early stages, the skin patches can look like other common conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.
The most important test for diagnosing a skin lymphoma is a skin biopsy. The doctor numbs an affected area of your skin with a local anaesthetic and removes a small sample. This is sent to the laboratory to be examined under a microscope and for specialised genetic tests. Results can take 4 to 6 weeks to come back.
Signs and symptoms of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma include: Round patches of skin that may be raised or scaly and might be itchy. Patches of skin that appear lighter in color than surrounding skin. Lumps that form on the skin and may break open.
These grow so slowly that patients can live for many years mostly without symptoms, although some may experience pain from an enlarged lymph gland. After five to 10 years, low-grade disorders begin to progress rapidly to become aggressive or high-grade and produce more severe symptoms.
NHL in the bone marrow
Some people with NHL have lymphoma cells in their bone marrow when they are diagnosed. This can cause low blood cell counts, such as: low red blood cell counts (anaemia), causing tiredness and sometimes breathlessness. low white blood cell counts, increasing your risk of getting infections.
Skin lymphoma (also known as cutaneous lymphoma) is a rare form of skin cancer that is not linked to sun exposure. There are several types of skin lymphoma and, as a category, they are rare, affecting about 6 in 1 million people.
There are several ways cutaneous T cell lymphoma can appear. In its early stages, it can look like flaky, dry skin, so it's often mistaken for eczema. It can also appear scaly like psoriasis and even as blisters on the skin. As the disease progresses, it can continue to develop into thicker patches known as plaques.
Skin rashes are uncommon symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma, but they may result more often from other types of lymphoma that start in T or B cells. The American Cancer Society note that nearly half of all skin lymphomas are MF.
For most patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma or CTCL, itchiness, also known as pruritus, can range in degree from a minor irritation to a tormenting sensation that can significantly decrease an individual's quality of life.
Outlook / Prognosis
Healthcare providers can't cure these skin lymphomas. They can treat the conditions with therapies that ease or eliminate symptoms and slow down lymphoma growth. Many times people who receive treatment for this condition will live for many years.
Common symptoms of having lymphoma include swelling of lymph nodes in your neck, in your armpits or your groin. This is often but not always painless and often could be associated with fevers, or unexplained weight loss, or drenching night sweats, sometimes chills, persistent fatigue.
Skin lymphoma can be a long-term (chronic) condition so you might live with it for many years. It can take months or years to diagnose. Symptoms can come and go, and you might need treatment more than once.
Most are slow growing and not aggressive. They usually proceed over many years, typically do not make the patient seriously ill, and can be treated multiple times. Some rare types of cutaneous lymphomas can be more aggressive (fast growing and spreading).
Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in cells that are part of the body's immune system. Rare lymphomas that start in the skin are called skin lymphomas (or cutaneous lymphomas).
This disease often goes away without treatment, but it can take anywhere from a few months to many years to go away completely. Lymphomatoid papulosis doesn't spread to internal organs and is not fatal. Rarely, some people with this skin disorder develop another, more serious type of lymphoma.
Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common primary cutaneous lymphoma, which affects mainly adults, with a slight predominance of males.
Benign lymphoma cells often look like lymphoma when doctors view them under a microscope, but they don't act the same way or cause as much harm. Benign lymphoma can occur in many parts of the body, including the: Skin.