Cutaneous T cell lymphoma atlas reveals malignant TH2 cells supported by a B cell-rich tumor microenvironment

Abstract

Cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a potentially fatal clonal malignancy of T cells primarily affecting the skin. The most common form of CTCL, mycosis fungoides, can be difficult to diagnose, resulting in treatment delay. We performed single-cell and spatial transcriptomics analysis of skin from patients with mycosis fungoides-type CTCL and an integrated comparative analysis with human skin cell atlas datasets from healthy and inflamed skin. We revealed the co-optation of T helper 2 (T_H2) cell-immune gene programs by malignant CTCL cells and modeling of the tumor microenvironment to support their survival. We identified MHC-II⁺ fibroblasts and dendritic cells that can maintain T_H2 cell-like tumor cells. CTCL tumor cells are spatially associated with B cells, forming tertiary lymphoid structure-like aggregates. Finally, we validated the enrichment of B cells in CTCL and its association with disease progression across three independent patient cohorts. Our findings provide diagnostic aids, potential biomarkers for disease staging and therapeutic strategies for CTCL.