Are cutaneous T-cell lymphomas contagious?

Like other malignancies, cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are not contagious; they cannot be transmitted from one person to another. This may be surprising to some people because the name of the most common CTCL, mycosis fungoides, sounds like a fungal infection. This is not the case: CTCLs are not infections. The name mycosis fungoides arose from the appearance of the tumors in the tumor stage of the disease. These tumors are similar to mushrooms in appearance.