The Clinical Features of Patients with Sarcoidosis and Malignant Diseases in Japan

Abstract

Objective Recent studies suggest a significant association between sarcoidosis and malignancy, although the results have remained controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical features of patients with sarcoidosis associated with malignant diseases in Japan. Patients We conducted a medical record review of all sarcoidosis patients in Tohoku University Hospital between January 1, 1981, and May 31, 2017. Methods The clinical records and pathology reports for each patient were screened, and the clinical characteristics of malignancies as well as sarcoidosis were reviewed. Results A total of 52 (18.8%) patients with malignancy were identified among 277 patients with sarcoidosis. Among those 52 patients, we identified 62 with malignant diseases. These patients were older and more likely to be women than the remaining 225 (81.2%) sarcoidosis patients without malignancy. The most prevalent malignant disease was breast cancer (14 cases, 22.6%), followed by stomach cancer (8 cases, 12.9%) and lung cancer (7 cases, 11.3%). Among the 14 patients with both sarcoidosis and breast cancer, 8 (57.1%) were diagnosed with breast cancer before sarcoidosis. All of these eight cases had undergone surgical resection of the cancer. Conclusion This study showed a higher incidence of patients with both sarcoidosis and malignancy in Japan than in some western countries. Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant disease. The high frequency of sarcoidosis after surgical resection of breast cancer may suggest a causative association between malignancy and the development of sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis and maligancy: the chicken and the egg?

“…Typical sarcoid granulomas can occur in solid tumors and hematologic malignancy before, during or after a sarcoid diagnosis. A recent Japanese study found 28 (45.2%) cases diagnosed with malignancy prior to sarcoidosis and 34 (54.8%) cases diagnosed with sarcoidosis before malignancy [4 ▪ ]. Breast cancer, a very prevalent Japanese malignancy, was the most common malignancy seen in sarcoidosis patients.…”

Urine autotaxin levels reflect the disease activity of sarcoidosis

“…Female subjects were more likely to be older, and showed a lower smoking index and higher prevalence of Stage 1 lung lesions. The enrolled subjects had almost similar characteristics with a population in a previous sarcoidosis cohort study in Japan 29 , 30 . The disease activity was not significantly different between male and female groups.…”

Malignancy and sarcoidosis: A single center experience from Turkey

“…Sarcoidosis and sarcoid like reactions have been encountered in different types of malignancies and both the distribution and frequency vary among different countries. Lymphoma, breast, testicular, gastrointestinal and lung carcinoma are the most common types of malignancies that are related with higher frequency of sarcoidosis [14][15][16][17][18]. In most of the studies, the diagnosis of sarcoidosis was usually made after a long period (more than 5 years) of malignancy diagnosis [9].…”