Long-term outcomes of 1,263 patients with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome from 1982 to 2009.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this prospectively collected single center study cohort of 1,263 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF)/Sézary syndrome (SS) is to evaluate the significance of stage and risk of disease progression from initial presentation and to examine other prognostic factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The prognostic variables effecting overall survival (OS) were examined in a unique prospective cohort of 1,263 patients with MF and SS seen by one investigator at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) from 1982 to 2009. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to determine median OS, progression-free survival (PFS), and disease-specific survival (DSS). Cox proportional hazards regression model assessed prognostic factors.
RESULTS: Mean age at diagnosis was 55.33 years. Early mycosis fungoides (stage IA-IIA) represented 71.5% (903 of 1,263) and advanced (stage IIB-IVB) 28.5% (360 of 1,263) patients. Progression to a higher stage occurred in 147 patients (11.6%) of whom 112 (12%) were early and 35 (9.7%) advanced. Death from disease occurred in 102 of 1,263 (8.1%) patients. Median OS was 24.44 years, PFS was 16 years, and median DSS was not reached. OS and PFS were significantly better for early-stage patients with patches (T1a/T2a) than with patches/plaques (T1b/T2b). The PFS analyzed in 1,241 patients found that only 337 (27.2%) had disease progression or had died from disease. Risk factors associated with progression or deaths were advanced age, plaque stage, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, and tumor area.
CONCLUSIONS: Improved outcome of MF/SS, reflected by OS and PFS for all stages, may result from earlier diagnosis, new therapies, and aggressive treatment of infections. ©2012 AACR.