Perspectives on and Quality of Life in Skin of Color Patients With Mycosis Fungoides/Sézary Syndrome: A Qualitative Analysis

Jaclyn Abraham; Grace Wei; Seemal R Desai; Pei-Ling Chen; Lucia Seminario-Vidal

doi:10.7759/cureus.34054

Perspectives on and Quality of Life in Skin of Color Patients With Mycosis Fungoides/Sézary Syndrome: A Qualitative Analysis

Cureus. 2023 Jan 22;15(1):e34054. doi: 10.7759/cureus.34054. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Jaclyn Abraham¹, Grace Wei¹, Seemal R Desai², Pei-Ling Chen³, Lucia Seminario-Vidal^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.
² Department of Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA.
³ Department of Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, USA.
⁴ Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.

Abstract

Background Prior quantitative studies have described the diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL) faced by the overall mycosis fungoides (MF)/Sézary syndrome (SS) population; yet, little is known about how the disease affects HRQoL in skin of color (SOC) patients. This qualitative study sought to explore the lived experiences of SOC patients with MF/SS and gain deeper insights into the impact the disease has on various facets of HRQoL. Methodology Interviews with SOC patients with MF/SS ≥18 were recruited from a cutaneous lymphoma clinic. A thematic analysis was performed to identify overarching themes. Results Ten patients were invited to participate from July to September 2021. One patient with SS and seven patients with MF (four in the early stage and four in the advanced stage), with a median age of 60.5 years, agreed to participate. Emerging themes included diagnostic and therapeutic delays frequently due to initial misdiagnoses with other skin conditions. Physical and functional burdens significantly hindered participants' abilities to carry out daily responsibilities and maintain employment, and impacts on physical appearance (e.g., darkened skin) led to increased self-consciousness and lack of social acceptance. Participants regarded family and faith as main sources of support in addition to developing healthy coping strategies, such as self-acceptance and adaptability. All participants reported feeling satisfied with their access to healthcare information and the quality of care received. Conclusions Our findings provide greater insights into how HRQoL is impacted across SOC patients with MF/SS, which can help raise awareness among healthcare providers and assist with creating interdisciplinary healthcare approaches to better support the needs of this population.

Keywords: cutaneous; health disparities; lymphoma; quality of life; skin of color; t-cells.

Grants and funding

This work was supported through an educational grant from Kyowa Kirin, Inc entitled The EDUCATE Initiative – A Multimodal Campaign to Enhance Provider-Patient Awareness of CTCL Disparities in Skin of Color.