Diagnostic and Prognostic Significance of Clonal T-Cell Receptor Gene Rearrangements in the Peripheral Blood of Patients with Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

The results of recently published T-cell receptor gene rearrangement studies on peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with mycosis fiingoides and Sezary syndrome are reviewed. The significance of detecting clonal T-cell populations in the peripheral blood for the diagnosis and prognosis of these conditions is discussed, along with potential pitfalls in the interpretation of the results of these studies.