Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Caring for Patients with Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma

Cutaneous T cell lymphoma and its subtypes, mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary syndrome (SS), comprise a spectrum of chronic lymphoproliferative disorders in which neoplastic T cells accumulate within the skin and visceral organs. This process is frequently characterized by severe pain, nonpain symptoms, and physical disfigurement. Significant emotional, spiritual, and existential distress is also felt by many of these patients as they experience a chronic, often incurable disease. Patients suffering from these diseases, though not commonly encountered, can benefit greatly from palliative care support. In this article, a team of palliative care clinicians, critical care physicians, and an oncologist specializing in lymphoma offer 10 tips to help palliative care teams to support these vulnerable and often-distressed patients and their caregivers.