Mycosis fungoides in children and adolescents

The clinical and histologic findings in five young patients with mycosis fungoides are reviewed. The skin specimen from a 16-year-old boy had an infiltrate predominately Leu-1 +, Leu-4 +, Leu-3a + 3b +, OKT6 +, Leu-2a −, Leu-8 −, and Leu-9 −, and rearrangements were noted in T cell receptor gene ( β chain [constant region probe] and γ chain [J region probe] ); no rearrangements were found in a histologically normal lymph node or peripheral blood. The skin specimen from an 11-year-old girl contained predominately Leu-4 + and Leu-9 + lymphoid cells. No T cell receptor gene rearrangements were found in the skin or in an involved lymph node. The variations in clinical, histologic, and immunopathologic features suggest that mycosis fungoides in young patients represents a heterogeneous subgroup of cutaneous T cell lymphoma.