transforming-growth-factor-beta and Mycosis-Fungoides

Lymphomatoid papulosis and cutaneous CD30+ lymphoma are closely related conditions in which large atypical lymphocytes that have similar immunophenotypic features occur. In lymphomatoid papulosis, the lesions are papules and nodules that spontaneously involute. There are two polar histologic patterns, type A and B, in which the large atypical cells resemble those of Hodgkin's disease and mycosis fungoides, respectively, but in many cases, features of both types are present, either separately or in the same lesions. Variants of lymphomatoid papulosis include cases with a perifollicular distribution and those with lymphocytic vasculitis or dermal mucin deposits. Clinical lesions that tend to be stable, a monomorphous cellular composition, and in the case of immunocompromised patients, the presence of Epstein-Barr viral genome characterize cutaneous CD30+ lymphoma. A loss of response to transforming growth factor-beta, which normally dampens cellular proliferation, may differentiate CD30+ lymphoma from lymphomatoid papulosis.

Topics: Cell Division; Genome, Viral; Hair Follicle; Herpesvirus 4, Human; Hodgkin Disease; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Immunophenotyping; Lymphocytes; Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic; Lymphomatoid Papulosis; Mucins; Mycosis Fungoides; Skin Neoplasms; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Vasculitis, Leukocytoclastic, Cutaneous

Cytokine production is under genetic control and certain allelic variants of cytokine genes are associated with lower or higher cytokine production in vitro and in vivo. The general concept is that a shift from a Th1 to a Th2 cytokine profile accompanies disease progression from patch-stage mycosis fungoides to tumour stage, although the results of the studies carried out have not been entirely conclusive. We aimed to investigate whether certain cytokine polymorphisms might represent a risk factor for developing patch-stage mycosis fungoides. Genotyping for IFN-gamma (Th1 cytokine), IL-6, IL-10 (Th2 cytokines), TNF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 was undertaken for 33 patients with patch-stage mycosis fungoides and the results were compared with those in a control group. Genotype distribution showed no significant differences between the patients and the controls for any of the five cytokines studied. Our study suggests that patch-stage mycosis fungoides is not determined by a specific genotype polymorphism. However, further studies on larger numbers of cases are needed before definite conclusions can be drawn.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Case-Control Studies; Cytokines; Female; Humans; Interferon-gamma; Interleukin-10; Interleukin-6; Male; Middle Aged; Mycosis Fungoides; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Genetic; Skin Neoplasms; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Transforming Growth Factor beta1; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha