[Total cutaneous electron beam therapy of mycosis fungoides]

Electron beam irradiation of the entire skin surface was used to treat 25 patients with mycosis fungoides from 1977 to January 1988. A plexiglas screen was used to reduce the energy of the 8 MeV beam of a Sagittaire linear accelerator to 4 MeV. A total dose of 30 Gy was delivered in 12 fractions over days. This series includes 17 men and 8 women with a mean age of 44 years (range 13-78 years) and a mean follow-up of 34 months (range 6-92 months). The following-up staging system was used: stage A: superficial lesions covering less than 50 p. 100 of the body surface; stage B: superficial lesions covering more than 50 p. 100 of the body surface; stage C: tumors of the skin, lymph nodes and/or visceral organs, Sezary's syndrome. All stage A patients achieved complete remission. One developed recurrent disease in a very limited area 17 months after radiation therapy. No stage A patient died of mycosis fungoides. 6/9 stage B patients achieved complete remission; 4 of these developed recurrent disease localized to the skin 6 to 13 months after electron therapy. These recurrences were controlled by topical nitrogen mustard, puva therapy or localized irradiation. 1 patient showed no response and died of cutaneous mycosis fungoides. 5/10 stage C patients obtained complete remission but all relapsed within a mean period of 7 months. 4/5 of the patients not responding to electron therapy died of their disease and one is alive 16 months after completion of treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)