Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma: A Clinical Review

A relative paucity of published papers is observed regarding racial and ethnic disparities in cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL). Although CTCL is a rare condition, the poor outcomes associated with this condition underscore the need to understand and address any existing care inequities. Recently, a growing body of literature has attempted to identify racial disparities in CTCL in terms of the overall survival, stage at presentation, time to initiate treatment, and complication rate. Some progress has been made in understanding the underlying causes of such disparities, with some proposing the biologic and genetic differences between Caucasian and black patients, others proposing that environmental exposure to chemicals, such as benzene, may predispose certain populations to the disease, and still others suggesting that other factors related to socioeconomic status, such as insurance type, may play a role. We review what is known about racial and ethnic differences in clinical presentations, existing health disparities, key hypotheses regarding drivers of these trends, and actionable strategies to address these disparities.