Dupixent is an anti-inflammatory injection medication that has been linked to Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL), a type of skin cancer or lymphoma that affects the skin.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) injury cases in all 50 states. If you were diagnosed with CTCL after using Dupixent, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Dupixent CTCL & Skin Cancer Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
What is Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma?
Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) is a type of blood cancer that affects the skin. This cancer begins in the white blood cells, which are also called “T-cells” or “T-lymphocytes.” These calls are supposed to work with the body’s immune system to fight off infections. When people have CTCL, T-cells are mistakenly attacking the skin instead of an infection.
What Are The Most Common Types of CTCL?
There are several types of CTCL, but the two most common types are:
- Mycosis fungoides: This is the most common type of CTCL. It grows slowly and primarily affects the skin, causing patches of skin that are raised, itchy, and scaly.
- Sézary Syndrome: This is a rare, fast-growing type of CTCL that affects the skin and blood. The rash eventually spreads all over the entire body, including the lips and genitals. The rash may be very painful, disfiguring, extremely itchy, cause cracked and broken skin, and other complications that significantly decrease quality of life.
Is CTCL a Type of Skin Cancer?
CTCL is commonly referred to as a skin cancer because it affects the skin, but it is technically part of a larger group of blood cancers called “non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”
There are over 60 types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but they all start when germ-fighting cells grow uncontrollably and form growths called tumors. CTCL causes tumors to grow on the skin. These tumors look like a skin rash, with slightly-raised patches.
Early Warning Signs & Symptoms of CTCL
The early symptoms of CTCL commonly include:
- Skin rash that is red, scaly, or itchy
- Raised patches of skin
- Skin tumors
- Thickened or leathery skin
- Skin discoloration
- Bumps on the skin that may break open
Severe Symptoms of CTCL
In very severe cases, CTCL may cause advanced symptoms like a widespread rash all over the body, skin ulcers, broken skin, swollen lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, fatigue, skin ulcers, hair loss, bone pain, and other complications. CTCL may also involve the blood and organs like the liver or spleen.
CTCL May Be Misdiagnosed as Eczema
CTCL is rare, and the early symptoms are similar to common skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis. This is why many people with CTCL are not diagnosed until they undergo a biopsy for stubborn skin condition that does not respond to normal treatments.
Dupixent Linked to “Rapid Progression” of CTCL
Doctors have published several alarming case reports linking Dupixent and CTCL with “rapid progression” of the cancer to a very severe disease, with a significant worsening of symptoms.
For example, in this study, doctors warned:
“Recent reports have linked dupilumab with exacerbating symptoms and accelerated disease progression of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). … The connection between dupilumab use and CTCL remains uncertain, but current findings indicate a possible association with the rapid progression of undiagnosed CTCL.”
Case Reports Linking Dupixent and CTCL
Here are a few examples of case reports linking Dupixent and CTCL:
- February 2021 — Acceleration of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma following dupilumab administration: Case report linking Dupixent to a significant worsening of CTCL in an African American male, with photos of his hands depicting “deep, painful fissures and erosions.”
- August 2023 — Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma Progression: A Potential Dupilumab Pitfall: Case report with photos of a 60-year-old woman who was diagnosed with CTCL about 3 months after starting Dupixent. She developed a rash that is “now covering her entire body from scalp to toes, including areas on the lips and vulva,” with symptoms including “severe itchiness and significant flaking of the skin, leading to distress and pain.”
- June 2023 —: Dupilumab-associated mycosis fungoides: a cross-sectional study — A cross-sectional study with a total of 25 patients who developed CTCL after using Dupixent. “All patients were diagnosed with mycosis fungoides (MF), and one patient progressed to Sézary syndrome while on dupilumab, with an average duration of 13.5 months of therapy prior to diagnosis.”
- June 2020 — Dupilumab Treatment in Two Patients with Cutaneous T-cell Lymphomas: Case report of 2 patients with CTCL who used Dupixent, including photos of severe rashes.
Do I Have a Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) injury cases in all 50 states. If you were diagnosed with CTCL after using Dupixent, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Dupixent CTCL & Skin Cancer Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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