Cutaneous Lymphoma Treatments

“CTCL patients have the unique challenge of having their disease on the “outside” of their body, affecting their appearance, their life and even their relationships... and they have to continue to function in spite of it. Some of the most rewarding transplant outcomes for me have been with CTCL patients who have gone on to live normal lives.”
 

Jasmine Zain, M.D., director, T Cell Lymphoma Program

Diagnosis, treatment and cure rates for lymphoma are improving every year, and research at City of Hope has helped to fuel those trends and improve outcomes among our patients.

Leading-edge clinical trials, collaborations with a large network of institutions and our designation as a lymphoma Specialized Program of Research Excellence provide our patients with exciting new treatment options. And City of Hope’s unique ability to produce and manufacture the agents being developed by our investigators means treatments get to our patients faster.

Experts In Cutaneous Lymphoma

Cutaneous lymphomas are rare diseases — most physicians see very few cases in their lifetime. City of Hope is one of the only cancer centers in the country with skin lymphoma experts, who saw and treated hundreds of patients since 2015. They have helped develop treatment guidelines and are pioneering modern therapies for:

  • Cutaneous T cell lymphoma
  • Follicle center lymphoma
  • Marginal zone B cell lymphoma
  • Diffuse large B cell lymphomas of the leg and other areas

These are some of the most difficult lymphomas to diagnose since they resemble other common skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and ringworm. Our team includes dermatopathologists able to discern subtle differences between skin lymphoma subtypes, and are responsible for developing groundbreaking skin-directed and light therapies used to treat them once they are diagnosed.

Treatments For Cutaneous Lymphoma

Treatment for skin lymphomas depends on how widespread the disease is. If lymphoma is confined to the skin, a variety of skin-directed treatments may be used, including phototherapy, topical nitrogen mustard (a topical chemotherapy) and radiation therapy — some of which may be combined with systemic medications that can attack the lymphoma from the inside to complement the effect. Some of these treatments include:

  • Light therapy: Light therapy — a mainstay of treatment for cutaneous lymphoma — uses ultraviolet light to kill malignant (cancerous) cells in the skin, along with other cells that may be contributing to the growth of skin lymphoma cells. These cells are sensitive to light therapy and eventually die off.
  • Radiation: Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. It is an effective treatment for skin lymphoma and often is paired with other treatments. City of Hope offers advanced radiation treatments that are highly targeted to cancer cells while protecting the surrounding normal tissue. The most common form of radiation therapy for skin lymphoma is electron beam radiation.
  • Topical treatments: Drugs that are applied directly to the skin are called topical treatments. These range from topical corticosteroids and retinoids, to topical chemotherapy and immune therapy drugs.
  • Systemic therapies: These include medications, that can be given orally, subcutaneously or intravenously, to attack lymphoma cells from within the body. Most cases are treated using biologic agents, immune modifiers such as interferon, agents that work to repair genetic abnormalities in cancer cells, immune modifiers and a whole slate of targeted agents being tested as part of our clinical trials program.
  • Extracorporeal photopheresis: A procedure that involves extracting blood from the patient and exposing it to light, in order to induce death in malignant cells.
  • Stem cell transplantation: For patients with recurrent or particularly aggressive disease, transplantation may be a treatment option. City of Hope uses innovative approaches for stem cell and bone marrow transplantation to treat advanced skin lymphomas. We offer reduced intensity stem cell transplants and have approaches to minimize toxicity. Our center performs transplants using stem cells from various sources, including siblings and other family members, cord blood and unrelated donors, depending on availability and the match with the patient.
  • Clinical trials: We are at the forefront of developing new therapies for the treatment of cancer — and skin lymphomas are no exception. City of Hope was involved in pivotal trials for newer agents such as pralatrexate and brentuximab vedotin and our researchers continue to explore new molecular pathways for the treatment of cutaneous lymphomas.

City of Hope provides every patient with comprehensive care — each with an experienced team, including dermatologists, oncologists and dermatopathologists, that convenes regularly to drive decisions about their care.