title: From inflammation to neoplasia: new concepts in the pathogenesis of cutaneous lymphomas.
abstract: Mycosis fungoides is a clinicopathologic term which describes a neoplasm of cerebriform T lymphocytes that form plaques and tumors. We further suggest that mycosis fungoides arises in a background of chronic inflammation or as a response to chronic antigenic stimulation. Subsequently, a series of mutations results in the stepwise progression from eczematous patches, to plaques, tumors and eventual hematogenous dissemination. The pathogenetic process is driven by various, probably individually different, exogenous factors, e.g. environmental foreign antigens, bacterial superantigen, and/or endogenous factors, e.g. autocrine cytokine loops, CD40/CD40L and B7/CD28 interaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burg
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kempf
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haeffner
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Döbbeling
authors.forename: Frank O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Nestle
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Böni
authors.forename: Marshall
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadin
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dummer
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000473:pathology*; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*