Skin autografts and homografts in patients with the lymphoma mycosis fungoides

In a series of autografts done in 14 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF), normal skin could be transplanted without difficulty to either normal recipient sites or sites involved with lymphoma. In contrast, transplantation of skin involved with lymphoma was infrequently successful. Mycosis fungoides tumor tissue was never transferred successfully, and in no instance was transfer of disease accomplished by transplantation. Possible reasons for these findings are presented. Homografts were done in 18 patients with mycosis fungoides. The initial take pattern was the same as in the autograft series. Sixteen of the 18 patients rejected normal skin homografts within a 23-day period. The 2 patients retaining grafts for longer periods were in terminal stages of their illness. Thus, no depression of this parameter of delayed hypersensitivity capacity was identified with this lymphoma.