Breaking Down the Barriers for Patients With Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: Current Controversies and Challenges for Radiation Oncologists in 2024

Abstract

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) are a rare collection of diseases, frequently associated with diagnostic challenges and complex management dilemmas. The multidisciplinary team is vital for accurate clinico-pathological diagnoses and for collaborative therapeutic decisions throughout the management journey, which frequently involves multiple lines of therapy. Radiotherapy (RT) is a highly effective skin-directed therapy for CTCL, commonly delivered as localised fields or as total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT). Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common of the CTCL, and patients typically experience high rates of morbidity and long natural histories of relapse and progression. Patients with MF typically present with incurable disease; in these patients, RT has an established role in symptom- and disease-control, achieving excellent response rates and proven therapeutic benefits. The role of RT continues to evolve, with modern practices favouring lower doses to reduce toxicity risks and allow for re-irradiation. Less commonly, there are situations where RT has an integral role in the potential cure of patients with MF: firstly, in the setting of unilesional MF where localised RT alone may be curative, and secondly, in the setting of preconditioning prior to curative-intent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant for patients with advanced MF/Sezary syndrome, where conventional-dose TSEBT is indicated as the most effective single agent for maximal debulking of skin disease. Radiotherapy also has an important role in the management of the less common CTCL, including the curative treatment of localised primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Despite proven efficacy and quality of life benefits, disparity exists in access to RT and TSEBT. World-wide, stronger multidisciplinary collaborations and greater patient advocacy are required to increase access to RT and improve equity of care for our patients with CTCL.