Staging lymphography with respect to lymph node histology, treatment, and follow-up in patients with mycosis fungoides.

Extracutaneous involvement in mycosis fungoides (MF) is associated with a poor prognosis. Therefore, a pretreatment staging procedure is used to determine the extent of the disease. As part of the staging procedure lymphography was performed in 36 patients with MF. The radiographic findings and the correlation of these findings with the histopathologic changes in lymph nodes and the clinical course are described. Lymphography in MF shows a variety of abnormalities. However, these abnormalities correlate in only 61% of the patients with the extent and the clinical course of the disease. It is concluded that lymphography is not a useful clinical tool in the staging of MF.