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Mycosis fungoides is a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma of unknown etiology, thought to be a rare sequela of chronic antigenic stimulation that may occur, for example, with exposure to contact allergens. To explore this possibility, we interviewed 174 patients with mycosis fungoides and 294 randomly selected control subjects in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle areas concerning their lifetime histories of employment, chemical exposures, allergy, atopy, and certain medical conditions. Patients reported higher prevalence of cancers other than the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and skin cancers (relative risk = 3.3, < .001) and were more likely than controls to burn when exposed to the sun (for nonblacks, relative risk = 1.7, = .01). The latter difference may reflect a manifestation rather than a precursor of the disease. We found no consistent or biologically plausible differences between patients and controls with respect to types of jobs held, or to occupational or avocational exposures to chemicals. These findings do not support the hypothesis that persistent antigenic stimulation by contact allergens is etiologically important in the pathogenesis of mycosis fungoides. [J Natl Cancer Inst 81:1560–1567, 1989] [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]