CUTANEOUS LYMPHOMAS. THE ULCERATION - SEPSIS CONNECTION AND OTHER FEATURES.

Abstract
Ulcerated cutaneous lymphomas have a poor prognosis and may be the source of sepsis. We analyzed 12 patients with ulcerated cutaneous lymphomas between 59 patients with lymphomas and skin involvement during the period 1990-2000. Usually the ulcers were presented in people older than 50 years, placed on tumors and were multiple, necrotic and infected. More frequently they appeared at late stages and they were the main pathway of development of sepsis, specially by meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Mean survival of deceased patients after onset of ulcers was 6.27 months. On other work we studied 62 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF) and sepsis. Cutaneous ucers by MF were strongly associated with sepsis (p<0.001). Other predisposing factors that we found in this group of patients were erythroderma, lymph node and/or visceral involvement, stage IV and atypical circulating cells > 5% (Sézary syndrome; which an update is made). We emphasize the importance of an appropiate microbiological study and a prompt therapy

Key words
Cutaneous lymphoma, sepsis, mycosis fungoides, cutaneous ulcer.

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