Infantile-onset cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

Mycosis fungoides (MF), the most common form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), is mainly a disease of the elderly. To review paediatric CTCL cases reported in the literature, with a focus on the time between onset of symptoms and establishment of a correct diagnosis. A review of the literature was carried out and a case reported. A total of 254 cases of CTCL have been reported in children aged < 16 years, 13 cases (< 1% of all reported cases) in children below the age of 2 years, and only seven cases (including ours) during the first year of life. CTCL was most prevalent in children aged 10-12 years. The delay between age of onset and establishment of diagnosis was largest in the youngest age group (0-3 years), and declined steadily thereafter, thus reflecting the increasing likelihood that CTCL is considered in the differential diagnosis of skin disorders with increasing age of the patient. The diagnosis of CTCL is frequently delayed in young children. It needs to be considered in chronic 'eczematous' skin lesions irrespective of the patient's age, and including infants.