The following report of a case of mycosis fungoides covers observations extending over nine years. The patient presented cutaneous lesions of the premycotic stage during the first seven years, followed by the tumor stage, which lasted two years, until death.
These observations, together with the histologic picture of the cutaneous tumors, which showed infiltration of pleomorphic cells thought to have originated from the reticuloendothelial tissue of the skin, were considered sufficient evidence for a diagnosis of mycosis fungoides. These features were not sufficient to justify classification of the case as one of lymphoblastoma because the blood count, which was made often (table 1), showed no significant qualitative or quantitative changes in the white blood cells. Furthermore, no particular involvement of the blood-forming organs was discovered from study of the postmortem material.
This case is reported for the following reasons: 1. It is the first instance of this disease in which the patient was treated with radioactive phosphorus. 2. Passage of tissue from cutaneous tumors through various laboratory animals resulted in infiltrations of a leukemic nature in the livers and spleens of a few mice.