Ongoing treatment and follow-up
Like many other conditions, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) requires long-term treatment that may need to be adjusted over time to make sure the disease stays as well controlled as possible. Your treatment journey will be influenced by factors like the stage of the disease and your symptoms. Lymphoma specialist, Dr Yousef Binamer explains more.
What are the aims of my treatment?
The main aims of treatment are to:
- Improve or reduce skin patches and plaques
- Provide relief from symptoms, such as itching
- Reduce or control the number of cancerous cells in all affected areas
- Prevent cancerous cells from spreading to other parts of the body
- Avoid or minimise any treatment side effects
- Improve quality of life
Why might my treatment change?
It is unlikely that the treatment for CTCL will stay the same for the whole of your journey. Some people might change treatments due to side effects. Sometimes the skin symptoms may not reduce or be controlled by one treatment, which means other options may be considered. For other people, cancer cells may have spread to other parts of the body; this might mean that your doctor may suggest a change in treatment to control another aspect of the disease.
How might my treatment change?
A change to treatment might involve:
- Switching to a new treatment that you have not had before
- Combining two types of treatment
- Retrying a treatment you have already received
What appointments will I need?
You and your doctor will decide the best timing for follow-up appointments to monitor your disease based upon your subtype and stage. During follow-up visits, your doctor will check how well the treatment is working, sometimes with biopsies, blood tests or scans.
Explore the resource below to help you track your treatment:
A treatment tracker created by the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation
This treatment tracker can be printed out and filled in with the type of treatment you are getting, when you started it, how you responded to it and if you experienced any side effects.
Kyowa Kirin has received permission from the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation to link to its materials. By clicking on this link, you will leave the CTCL Answers site.
If you have more questions on a diagnosis of CTCL, always ask your dedicated healthcare team.
Do you need more information on beginning treatment for CTCL?
Would you like some information on what other changes you can make to your life to best manage your condition?
KKI/INT/MOG/0688
January 2023
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