Combination Therapies

This piece was written by Guide Contributors
When are combination therapies used to treat cutaneous lymphoma?

Skin-directed therapies are recommended alone or in combination for treating mycosis fungoides and other early-stage CTCLs. 

For patients with large areas of skin involvement or lymphoma that has spread beyond the skin or has relapsed, systemic therapies that can move through the bloodstream and extend throughout the entire body to reach cancer cells wherever they are located, such as oral retinoids, interferon, or extracorporeal photopheresis, might be used early on in combination with skin-directed treatments,6,7 depending on the individual patient’s clinical circumstances.  

What and when are combination therapies used?
Occasionally skin-directed therapies may be used in combination or with a systemic therapy when one therapy alone isn't fully effective.

EXPERT PRESENTERS

Steven Horwitz, MD, Medical Oncologist, Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Lauren Pinter-Brown, MD, FACP, Hematologist/Oncologist, UCLA Medical Center

Common Combination Therapies

aThis list should not be considered exhaustive. Patients and physicians may decide on other combinations that are appropriate for their particular situation. 

 

 

Link to References used on page.

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Fertility

Couple with physician
Even if you aren’t currently thinking about having a family, aspects of family planning often need to be considered when choosing a therapy for your cutaneous lymphoma.

Skin-Directed Therapies

Individuals with disease limited to the skin (stages I and II) can often achieve a good response with one of the readily available skin-directed therapies. Learn more about skin-directed therapies.
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