Mycosis fungoides of the true vocal cord: A case report and review of the literature

Mycosis fungoides is the most common type of cutaneous malignant T cell lymphoma which primarily affects skin. However, extracutaneous manifestation may occur in advanced stages, mostly observed in postmortum studies. We present a case of mycosis fungoides that disseminated to the true vocal cord of a 48 year-old African American man who presented with hoarseness. Only two cases that have also demonstrated a rare involvement of the true vocal cord have been reported in the English literature. In both cases, mycosis fungoides infiltration of the true vocal cord was seen postmortem, along with visceral dissemination of mycosis fungoides. We herein describe a single extracutaneous manifestation of mycosis fungoides in the true vocal cord of a living patient with a 21-year diagnosis of mycosis fungoides. Vocal cord involvement by mycosis fungoides must be considered as one of the differential diagnoses in any mycosis fungoides patients who complain of persistent hoarseness. Awareness of this entity is clinically important due to the necessity of a different management.