Treatment of cutaneous lymphoma with etretinate

SUMMARY Twelve patients with various types of lymphoma were treated with etretinate. The diagnosis included parapsoriasis en plaque, epidermotropic lymphoma (diffuse chronic erythroderma with atypical mononuclear cells, Sézary syndrome or MF tumours) and non‐epidermotropic lymphoma. The patients received etretinate in a dose of 0.8 to 1.0 mg/kg/day for 2 to 14 months. No additional therapy was given. Patients with epidermotropic lymphomas stage I and II had a favourable clinical and histological response whereas those with deeply infiltrating tumours remained unresponsive. Patients with parapsoriasis en plaque and poikiloderma showed little response. Of the four patients who discontinued the treatment, three had recurrences after 3 to 4 months but one remained clear. The results obtained with etretinate may equal those obtained with more aggressive treatments. Etretinate has been used to treat cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas (Claudy, Delomier & Hermier, 1982a; Ippolito & Giacalone, 1982). We have now treated twelve patients with parapsoriasis en plaque and various stages of epidermotropic and non‐epidermotropic cutaneous lymphomas (NECL) with this drug. This report concerns the clinical, histological and immunological effects of treatment.