Follicular Mycosis Fungoides: Variability of a Rare Entity

    January 2005 in “ SKINmed Dermatology for the Clinician ”
    Alexander Roeschm, Verena Schleyer, Michael Landthaler, Thomas Vogt
    TLDR FMF and mycosis fungoides are variants of the same disease, and bexarotene can be an effective treatment.
    The document discussed three patients with follicular mycosis fungoides (FMF), a rare variant of folliculotropic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. FMF is characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of hair follicles without epidermal invasion or follicular mucin. Case 1 had stable FMF with alopecia resistant to topical treatments, while Cases 2 and 3 showed simultaneous occurrences of classic mycosis fungoides and FMF, suggesting they are variants of the same disease. Case 3 progressed rapidly to tumor-stage mycosis fungoides but responded well to bexarotene, highlighting its potential as a treatment for FMF, which may have a worse prognosis than classic mycosis fungoides.
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