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Treatment of Stage III and Stage IV Mycosis Fungoides (Including Sézary Syndrome)
Source: Mycosis Fungoides (Including Sézary Syndrome) Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: February 12, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
NCI-linked patient version: mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome subset Patient source covers mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome; do not apply to all other cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.
For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.
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Treatment of newly diagnosed stage III and stage IV mycosis fungoides including Sézary syndrome is palliative (to relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life) and may include the following:
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Psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA) radiation therapy.
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Ultraviolet B radiation therapy.
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Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) given alone or combined with total skin electron beam radiation therapy.
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Radiation therapy with total skin electron beam radiation therapy. In some cases, radiation therapy is given to skin lesions, as palliative therapy to reduce tumor size to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
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Immunotherapy given alone or combined with therapy directed at the skin.
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Systemic chemotherapy with one or more drugs, which may be combined with therapy directed at the skin.
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Topical chemotherapy.
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Other drug therapy (topical corticosteroids, lenalidomide, bexarotene, histone deacetylase inhibitors).
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Targeted therapy with brentuximab vedotin.
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A clinical trial of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy with pembrolizumab.
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Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.
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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice