Polymerase chain reaction-γ–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis detection of circulating malignant T-cell clones in 88 patients with mycosis fungoides
| TNM stage (no. of patients) . | Skin positive for clone, no. (%) of patients . | PB positive for identical clone, no. (%) of patients* . |
|---|---|---|
| Ia (26) | 16 (61.5) | 1 (4) |
| Ib (34) | 21 (62) | 5 (15) |
| IIa (6) | 3 (50) | 0 |
| IIb (3) | 3 (100) | 0 |
| III (12) | 7 (58) | 5 (42) |
| nd (7) | 5 (71) | 0 |
| TNM stage (no. of patients) . | Skin positive for clone, no. (%) of patients . | PB positive for identical clone, no. (%) of patients* . |
|---|---|---|
| Ia (26) | 16 (61.5) | 1 (4) |
| Ib (34) | 21 (62) | 5 (15) |
| IIa (6) | 3 (50) | 0 |
| IIb (3) | 3 (100) | 0 |
| III (12) | 7 (58) | 5 (42) |
| nd (7) | 5 (71) | 0 |
TNM indicates tumor-node-metastasis; PB, peripheral blood; nd, not determined.
The T-cell clone detected in the PB was identical to the clone in the mycosis fungoides skin lesion and was therefore considered malignant.