Background: In the context of Iraqi communities, mycosis fungoides (MF) is the main cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that is the most prevalent, but little information is available about it. One of the areas that is still being actively researched is the role that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which are identified by their expression of CD68, play in the course of illness. Objective: is to define the demographic, clinical, and immunohistochemical characteristics of MF in an Iraqi cohort, with a particular focus on identifying relationships that may provide evidence regarding the pathogenesis and course of the illness. Methods: A retrospective review of 44 patients diagnosed with MF at a single dermatology center in Iraq (Baghdad Medical City) (2020–2025). Data on age, sex, disease duration, clinical subtype, stage, and CD4/CD8/CD68 expression were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Fisher's exact tests, and Spearman's correlation. Results: This retrospective study included 44 cases (28 males and 16 females) and showed that male predominance with a gender ratio of 1.75:1 male to female. In addition, males presented at a considerably older age compared to females (49.2 ± 13.7 years versus 35.5 ± 13.1 years, p = 0.023). This finding appears underreported in previous MF cohorts. There was a positive correlation between the length of the disease and the age at diagnosis (ρ = 0.47, p = 0.028), which indicates that older patients may have delayed presentation. In addition to lichenoid (18.1%) and poikilodermatous-erythrodermic (13.6%), the most common type of MF was the classical type, which accounted for (31.8%) of all cases. The youngest patients were two females aged 15 and 19 years, both diagnosed with hypopigmented MF. There were two significant associations linked with CD68 expression: Strong CD68 positivity was significantly associated with tumor-stage disease (present in 4/4 tumor-stage patients compared to 6/34 patch/plaque patients; p = 0.048), and patients with strong CD68 expression had significantly longer disease duration than those with weak or negative expression (7.8 ± 3.1 years versus 4.2 ± 3.1 years, p = 0.035). The CD4+ phenotype was the most prevalent (83.3%). Conclusion: This work reveals noteworthy findings in an Iraqi MF cohort, including a large age discrepancy between the sexes at the time of diagnosis, a link between age and the length of the disease, and, most importantly, dual associations of CD68 expression with both advanced stage and prolonged disease duration. These findings suggest an association between TAMs and disease chronicity/ progression of mycosis fungoides (MF), raising the possibility that CD68 may have the potential as prognostic biomarker for risk classification. It is necessary to do more extensive research in order to verify these discoveries and investigate the consequences they have for prognosis.

The normal anatomy of the human body is altered in sickness, diseases and physical trauma. The entire human body is covered by the skin and its appendages (hair and nail). For proper and effective management of the alteration(s) and its/their cause(s), it is essential to have image(s) that is/are precise and with high degree of accuracy. Here comes the relevance and contribution of imaging techniques. Anatomical imaging modalities such as ultrasonography, X-ray (plain and contrast-enhanced), computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. This article covers the basic operational principles, indications, images and limitations of each of these anatomical imaging techniques in a manner easily understood by undergraduate medical and dental students in advance of clinical training and practice.