What is the Difference Between Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome

The key difference between mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome is that mycosis fungoides is a type of cutaneous T cell lymphoma where cancerous T cells cannot be found in the blood, while Sezary syndrome is a type of cutaneous T cell lymphoma where cancerous T cells can be found in the blood.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of cancer that normally starts in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a part of the body’s germ-fighting immune system. In non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, white blood cells called lymphocytes grow abnormally. There are different types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, including follicular lymphoma, cutaneous T cell lymphoma, lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, marginal zone B cell lymphoma, MALT lymphoma, and small cell lymphocytic lymphoma.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Mycosis Fungoides 
3. What is Sezary Syndrome
4. Similarities – Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome
5. Mycosis Fungoides vs Sezary Syndrome  in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Mycosis Fungoides vs Sezary Syndrome

What is Mycosis Fungoides?

Mycosis fungoides is a type of skin cancer. It is categorized under cutaneous T cell lymphoma, a type of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It occurs when blood cells become cancerous. Often skin rash is the first sign of the mycosis fungoides. In mycosis fungoides, lymphocytes do not circulate in blood like in Sezary syndrome. Mycosis fungoides is not contagious and can’t pass the condition from person to person. The typical symptoms of mycosis fungoides include a scaly, red rash in the areas of the body that do not usually get exposed to the sun, thin, reddened, eczema-like rash, small raised bumps or hardened lesions on the skin that may be reddened, tumor and ulcer formation on the skin that may get infected. The causes of mycosis fungoides are not exactly known. It is believed that most affected people have one or more chromosome abnormalities like loss or gain of genetic material that occurs during a person’s lifetime.

Mycosis fungoides can be diagnosed through physical evaluation, skin biopsy, blood tests, CT scans, and PET scans. Furthermore, mycosis fungoides are treated through skin-directed therapy (phototherapy), systematic therapy (oral drugs; bexarotene or methotrexate), immune therapy, monoclonal antibody as targeted therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

What is Sezary Syndrome?

Sezary Syndrome is a rare type of lymphoma. It is also categorized under cutaneous T cell lymphoma, a type of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The symptoms of Sezary syndrome may include dry, peeling, or itchy skin, a red rash over much of the body, skin tumors, thickened skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, abdominal nail growth, alopecia, ectropion, edema, enlarged liver, enlarged spleen, fever, problems controlling the body temperature, swollen lymph nodes, and unexplained weight loss. The exact cause of Sezary syndrome is not known. But the affected people have a human T-cell leukemia virus. These viruses cause changes in DNA. However, these changes in DNA do not pass from parents to children.

Moreover, Sezary syndrome can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, biopsy of skin, lymph node, or bone, blood tests, immunophenotyping, and T cell receptor gene rearrangement test. Furthermore, Sezary syndrome is treated through extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), immunotherapy, medications like corticosteroids, UV phototherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and topical chemotherapy.

What are the Similarities Between Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome?

• Mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome are non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas.
• They are categorized as two forms of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
• Both conditions are due to cancerous T lymphocytes.
• The exact cause of both conditions is not known yet.
• Both conditions can be due to non-inherited changes in the genetic material.
• They can be diagnosed through physical evaluation and blood tests.
• Both are treated through specific medications and therapies.

What is the Difference Between Mycosis Fungoides and Sezary Syndrome?

Mycosis fungoides is a type of cutaneous T cell lymphoma where cancerous T cells cannot be found in the blood, while Sezary syndrome is a type of cutaneous T cell lymphoma where cancerous T cells can be found in the blood. Thus, this is the key difference between mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome. Furthermore, mycosis fungoides is a common non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, while Sezary syndrome is a rare non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The below infographic presents the differences between mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Mycosis Fungoides vs Sezary Syndrome

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome are categorized as two forms of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Both these conditions can cause life-threatening complications. In mycosis fungoides, cancerous T cells cannot be found in the blood, while in Sezary syndrome, cancerous T cells can be found in the blood. So, this summarizes the difference between mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome.

Reference:

1. “Mycosis Fungoides.” NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders).
2. “Sézary Syndrome: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prognosis.” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Granuloma fungoides on the skin of the leg and chest Wellcome L0061973” By Welcome Images (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Sézary’s disease” By Herbert L. Fred, MD and Hendrik A. van Dijk –  (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia