Prognosis with newly diagnosed mycosis fungoides after total skin electron radiation of 30 or 35 GY.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prognosis of new patients with T1-4N0-1B0M0 mycosis fungoides treated with total skin electron beam radiation.


METHODS
25 consecutive patients received 30 Gy with 3 or 4 MeV electrons in 1977-1980; 121 received 35 Gy with 4 MeV in 1980-1992. Response rates, relapse-free survival, and overall and cause-specific survivals were assessed by explicit criteria. The relationships of T, N, gender, age, and radiation technique to prognosis were investigated by regression statistics.


RESULTS
The average age was 55 years and the male:female ratio was 1:4. Forty-four percent were T1N0 and 34% were T2N0. The overall complete response rate was 82%, and lower T status, more radiation, and female gender were independently and positively associated with response. Median follow-up was 5.2 years. T1 patients who entered remission had a higher relapse-free survival compared to T2 through T4 patients. Thirty-four percent of T1 patients remained relapse-free at 6 years, compared to fewer than 20% of T2-4 patients. For all 146 patients the median overall survival was not reached at 15 years. Only 8 of 29 deaths were related to mycosis fungoides and these were significantly associated with higher T. The 54 T1N0 patients who had 35 Gy had a 10-year mycosis fungoides-specific survival of 100%.


CONCLUSIONS
Total skin electron beam radiation gives good results with T1N0B0M0 disease. T3-4 disease is less likely to respond, it relapses more quickly, and it implies a poorer survival, but radiation offers palliation. T2 responds like T1, but relapses like T3-4. T2 also implies an intermediate survival. These results have implications for staging, informed consent, optimizing radiation treatment, and clinical trials.
Jones
G W
GW
Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre, Ontario Cancer Foundation, Hamilton, Canada.
Tadros
A
A
Hodson
D I
DI
Rosenthal
D
D
Roberts
J
J
Thorson
B
B
D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009182:Mycosis Fungoides / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012867:Skin / Q000528:radiation effects*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D015996:Survival Rate