Mycosis fungoides, nitrogen mustard and skin cancer

Abstract

The prevalence of epithelial cancer was determined in 202 patients with mycosis fungoides and the Sézary syndrome and was found to be 10.5%. In an attempt to establish a possible association with topically applied nitrogen mustard, it was noted that 4.0% of these patients had lesions prior to nitrogen mustard therapy (although over half subsequently developed further lesions) and 6.5% of the patients developed them de novo after therapy. In two patients in this latter group, malignancies developed in are as not usually associated with solar-induced cancer. These findings indicate that epidermal neoplasia is not uncommon in these patients and that nitrogen mustard may function as a carcinogen or a co-carcinogen.