Macrophage inhibitor factor (MIF) in cutaneous lymphoproliferative diseases.

Macrophage migration inhibitor factor (MIF) activity in the sera of patients with mycosis fungoides, Sézary syndrome, and cutaneous lymphoma was observed in the sera of eight of the ten patients with stage II (infiltrative) mycosis fungoides, but in only one of the eight patients with stage I and in neither of the two patients with stage III mycosis fungoides. Two of the three patients with Sézary syndrome had MIF in the serum. No MIF was observed in cutaneous lymphoma. These data support the concept that Sézary syndrome and mycosis fungoides are T-cell diseases, and transitional, prelymphomatous diseases.