The following symptoms and complaints may indicate mycosis fungoides (stage-dependent):
Stage I: Premycous stage (eczema stage).
- Uncharacteristic skin rashes, such as large-heart parapsoriasis (psoriasis) or eczema (skin inflammation; “itchy rash”)
- Yellowish-brownish non-infiltrated foci
- Efflorescences (visible skin changes) may disappear and reappear in other locations. However, they may also persist (persist).
- Pruritus (itching)
Predilection sites (body regions where the disease occurs preferentially) for the skin changes are initially upper arm and inner thighs and buttocks.
Stage II: Infiltrative stage (plaque stage).
- Infiltration of the foci with palpable thickening of the skin (flat raised).
- The foci are brown-red and vary in size, sometimes anular (ring-shaped).
- Larger plaques (elevating above the skin level, “plate-like” substance proliferation of the skin) and small nodules.
- The entire outer skin is affected.
- Severe pruritus (itching).
- Lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes)
Stage III: Mycosidic tumor stage.
- Formation of hemispherical, mushroom-shaped tumors within infiltrates with tendency to erosions (skin defects) and ulcerations (boils)
- Often the face is also affected (“Facies leonina” = lion face).
- In severe courses it comes to erythroderma (redness (erythema) of the entire skin organ).
Stage IV: Systemic spread (advanced tumor stage).
