Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

Stages

If you're diagnosed with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), the next step is to find out how much and where the cancer has spread. This is called the stage. Healthcare professionals may use imaging and biopsies to determine the stage by looking at how big the cancer is, its location and the distance it traveled from where it first started. Your healthcare team creates your treatment plan based on the stage.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is not staged the same way for every type. The stages of CTCL often range from 1 to 4 and describe the extent the cancer affects the skin, lymph nodes and organs. For mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome, stages are also assigned to describe how the cancer involves the blood. A higher stage number means the cancer is more advanced.

• Skin. Lower stage numbers typically mean the cancer is limited to smaller amounts of the skin. As the stage numbers go up, the cancer can progress to larger areas of the skin or tumors on the skin. Higher stages also mean the cancer has traveled to other areas of the body.
• Lymph nodes. When the stage numbers go up, that means more lymph nodes may be involved. Higher stages also may mean that the lymph nodes are located deeper within the body.
• Organs. Higher stages usually mean the cancer traveled outside of the skin and lymph nodes to other organs.