Abstract
Introduction: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is a form of cutaneous T cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that presents as patches in early stages of the disease that can progress into thick plaques and eventually leukemia in later stages. Treatments currently focus on symptom repertoire, as well as disease stage. However, patch stage MF has been shown to be more responsive to phototherapy than plaque stage MF. This report aims to expand the literature regarding the efficacy and safety of early-stage MF treatment with 308-nm excimer lamp. Case Report: A 55-year-old African American woman presented to a private dermatologic practice with a 1-year history of pruritic hyperpigmented patches involving the right and left medial scapular back that was confirmed as patch stage MF via biopsy. Initial treatment consisted of 308-nm excimer lamp phototherapy at a dose of 150MED to the affected area which was gradually increased to a range of 160MED to 190MED over the next 18 weeks at 1 to 3-week intervals. After treatment completion a shave biopsy was performed 5 weeks later which confirmed resolution of MF. Discussion: Excimer lamp phototherapy offers shorter therapy duration, targeted treatment, and low UV exposure. This report aims to demonstrate the potential use, safety, and efficacy of the 308-nm excimer lamp in the treatment of patch stage MF. The positive results observed in this report indicate a need for further research and assessment for the potential use of the 308-nm excimer lamp as a therapeutic for early-stage MF.