Since the development of the “scientific method,” people have been engaged in research in efforts to answer questions, solve problems, and add to our overall knowledge. Nowhere is this more evident than in the medical field, and in the study of cutaneous lymphoma.

For patients with early-stage cutaneous lymphoma, skin-directed treatments, such as topical steroids and phototherapy, can slow or halt progression, but patients are also being treated with systemic therapies, according to the first-of-its kind research on this rare malignancy.

For decades, immunotherapy has been a cornerstone of systemic therapy for cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL). It is therefore not surprising that modern immune-therapies, which target anti-tumor immunity in more sophisticated ways, have the potential to greatly improve our treatments for CTCL. 

These are exciting times in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) research. The hard work of laboratory and clinical investigators worldwide is starting to bear fruit, and a number of basic discoveries in the genetic and epigenetic foundations of CTCL are now being translated into novel therapies, with great impact for patients.

In a world that has 7,000 known rare diseases, with only 5% having any treatment available, the future of discovery and new treatment development in cutaneous lymphoma is promising. There is much hope for a brighter future for everyone living with this condition.