The multidisciplinary clinic was established in 2015 and provides comprehensive clinical care for patients with skin diseases caused by underlying disorders of the blood or the bone marrow. We have a particular interest in cutaneous lymphomas which are a sub-group of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas primarily developing in the skin. The majority of our patients have mycosis fungoides (the most common type of cutaneous lymphoma), but we are also seeing patients with cutaneous B-cell lymphomas, monoclonal gammopathies, mastocytosis and numerous other benign and malignant blood disorders. An important role of the clinic is diagnosing complex patients presenting with skin manifestations in the context of hematological disease.
The clinic is co-attended by physicians representing Dermatology, Radiation Oncology, and Hematopathology. Diagnostic and therapeutic decisions are usually made by the entire team during monthly clinicopathological rounds where each patient is reviewed in detail. The rounds are attended by the cutaneous lymphoma group at the University of Calgary.
Research
Research is an integral part of the clinic focusing on the causes and pathogenesis of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, new therapies and treatment outcomes. Therefore, our patients are often asked to participate in research projects that vary from questionnaires documenting the quality of life and treatment outcomes, through providing skin biopsies for molecular research to participating in experimental treatments.
Staff
Dr. Robert Gniadecki (Dermatology), Dr. Minakshi Taparia (Hematology), Dr. Karen Chu (Radiation Oncology), Dr. Jean Deschenes (Hematopathology)
Useful resources
Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation is an excellent source of verified information on cutaneous lymphomas for patients and healthcare professional (link)
Recent publications
Iyer A, Hennessey D, O’Keefe S, Patterson J, Wang W, Wong GK, Gniadecki R. Skin colonization by circulating neoplastic clones in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Blood. 2019 Oct 31;134(18):1517-1527. doi: 10.1182/blood.2019002516. PMID: 31515249
Iyer A, Hennessey D, O’Keefe S, Patterson J, Wang W, Salopek T, Wong GK, Gniadecki R. Clonotypic heterogeneity in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides) revealed by comprehensive whole-exome sequencing. Blood Adv. 2019 Apr 9;3(7):1175-1184. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2018027482.
Hamrouni A, Fogh H, Zak Z, Ødum N, Gniadecki R. Clonotypic Diversity of the T-cell Receptor Corroborates the Immature Precursor Origin of Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2019 May 15;25(10):3104-3114. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-18-4099. Epub 2019 Feb 26.
Gniadecki R. CCR4-targeted therapy in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Lancet Oncol. 2018 Sep;19(9):1140-1141. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30449-2.
Mangold AR, Thompson AK, Davis MD, Saulite I, Cozzio A, Guenova E, Hodak E, Amitay-Laish I, Pujol RM, Pittelkow MR, Gniadecki R. Early clinical manifestations of Sézary syndrome: A multicenter retrospective cohort study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Oct;77(4):719-727. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.05.036.