It is a kind of a lymphoma. In this case the blood lymphoma stays on the skin. It results in the formation of a rash. In a number of cases where people develop mycosis fungoides, the rashes remain over a period time. It is very difficult to determine whether one is suffering from mycosis fungoides and usually a number of biopsies are required over a period of time before the diagnosis can be made.

This infection is confined to the skin and it rarely affects other parts of the body. These changes develop slowly over the years. At the start they are irregularly shaped and variably itchy dry patches of the skin. At this stage it becomes difficult to make the diagnosis as early mycosis fungoides look like common skin condition such as psoriasis or eczema. Later on the patches thicken up to become plaques. Sometimes the skin becomes red all over.

In a number of cases the mycosis fungoides never gets beyond the stage of patches and plaques. Very rarely the skin patches gets thicken, enlarged and ulcerate. The affected area might be painful and discharge fluid. It is an unusual expression of T-cells which is a part of the immune system.

Cause

The cause of mycosis fungoides is not known and it is neither hereditary nor genetic. It is not even contagious. Rarely does the disease occur before the age of twenty and it is noticeable more commonly in males as compared to females over the age of fifty during which the incidence of occurrence of the disease increases.

Symptoms

The symptoms of Mycosis fungoides includes rash like patches, lesions or tumors. Itching is common in around twenty percent of the cases and is not universal. Diagnosis becomes difficult as the early stages of the disease resemble eczema or psoriasis.  Diagnosis is conducted through a skin biopsy. Several biopsies are required in order to be sure of the diagnosis. The diagnosis is made through a combination of clinical examination and the confirmation is done through a biopsy.

Treatment

The effect of the treatment is temporarily effective and it might be required to be continued for a while. As of now there is no cure for mycosis fungoides. UV light can be helpful in controlling this condition. Nitrogen mustard which is a chemotherapy drug is applied for controlling mycosis fungoides. Photochemotherapy is being used at major medical centers for treating mycosis fungoides.

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