Sézary syndrome and mycosis fungoides flow cytometric evaluation: The clinicians' perspective

Flow cytometry of peripheral blood has become the standard tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of Sézary syndrome. However, there is a sense of frustration among dermatologists and oncologist regarding the challenges in interpreting vague flow cytometry (FC) reports, which often include an array of numbers and percentages that are difficult to interpret and fail to elucidate quantitatively or qualitatively the presence or absence of an abnormal T cell population. From the clinicians' perspective, a report of the flow cytometric evaluation for Sézary syndrome should include the following items: presence or absence of abnormal T-cells, phenotype of abnormal cells, and quantity of abnormal cells to disease burden and for staging.