Recalcitrant mycosis fungoides in a young woman.

A 29-year-old Japanese woman was seen with a 12-year history of indurated erythematous lesions, which had been diagnosed as mycosis fungoides. While PUVA and recombinant interferon-γ were ineffective, electron beam irradiation (total dose, 40 Gy) improved her skin lesions.Four months after radiotherapy, however, she developed marked lymph-adenopathy. She was treated with a combination of biweekly CHOP, etoposide, and methotrexate, which temporarily alleviated her condition. During the next 6 months, both her skin lesion and lymphadenopathy had progressed with the appearance of lymphoblasts in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. She died of multiple organ failure at the age of 30 years. [Skin Cancer (Japan) 2002; 17: 157-160]