ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SARCOIDOSIS AND LYMPHOMA REVISITED

Aims-To investigate the relation between sarcoidosis and lymphoma. Met hods-The hospital notes of five patients with sarcoidosis and a lympho proliferative disorder were reviewed. Histological material on which t he diagnoses of sarcoidosis and lymphoma were made was re-analysed. Re sults-Four of the five patients had well documented sarcoidosis preced ing the development of lymphoma by 18 months to 28 years; the fifth pa tient had lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma with a reactive granuloma reactio n. Two patients had chronic sarcoidosis and three were treated with pr ednisolone. The types of lymphoma were: Hodgkin's disease (n = 1), B c ell lymphoma (n = 2) (mantle cell and lymphoplasmacytic/local plasmacy toma) and large granular lymphocyte leukaemia (T cell) (n = 1). Conclu sions-The association between sarcoidosis and lymphoma is confirmed, s uggesting that sarcoidosis may be a predisposing factor for the develo pment of a lymphoid malignancy due to disturbance of the immune system . All types of lymphoma may develop. The first case of T cell granular lymphocytic leukaemia in a patient with sarcoidosis has been document ed.