A Patient’s Guide to Understanding
Cutaneous Lymphoma
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Dryness
Dryness accompanies almost all presentations of cutaneous lymphoma.
Because of this, dryness (also known as xerosis) is the most common
cause of itching, which contributes to a high degree of patient
discomfort.
There is, of course, wide variability as to how dryness shows up with
cutaneous lymphoma. Some patients have dry patches primarily
during colder months when humidity is low. Other patients experience
shedding of dry flakes of skin throughout the year as their disease
involves more and more of the skin’s surface. In patients with extensive
skin involvement, especially those with redness (also known as
erythroderma), diffuse shedding of skin can occur (also known as
desquamation).
This can be concerning for patients. Some feel embarrassed when skin
noticeably sheds or flakes in public and at home. These feelings are
understandable and completely normal. Patients can cope with these
symptoms in a variety of ways including lubricating the skin with thick
layers of ointment-based products such as Vaseline® or petrolatum,
which can reduce shedding and scaling for at least 2-5 hours before
needing to reapply.
Adding fragrance-free bath oils to bath water and soaking for 10
minutes several times a week can ease flaking and shedding for some
patients. Be aware that this can cause skin to be very slippery so
patients should be careful when emerging from the tub.
Over-the-counter products that contain lactic acid can help remove dry
flakes from scaly skin. Most of these products contain 12% lactic acid in
a fragrance-free lotion (an example is AmLactin® lotion and there are
generic equivalents).
Itch
Most people with cutaneous lymphoma experience itching (also
known as pruritus) and often are unsuccessful in finding relief from
this chronic, aggravating symptom. Why are there no good treatments
available to relieve itch? The reason is that remarkably little was known
or investigated about the basic mechanisms that underlie itch until the
past several years. The medical community may not have recognized the
