SARCOIDOSIS FOLLOWING INTERFERON-BETA THERAPY FOR MULTIPLE-MYELOMA

Some reports correlate the administration of all forms of interferon w ith the development or exacerbation of autoimmune phenomena and diseas es, including sarcoidosis, because of the strong and complex immune ac tion of interferons. We report on a case of sarcoidosis following beta -interferon treatment for multiple myeloma. Differently from what had been observed in all the 8 previously reported cases of associated mul tiple myeloma and sarcoidosis, where the plasmacellular malignancy fol lowed the onset of the respiratory disease, in the case of our patient , sarcoidosis arose after multiple myeloma was first diagnosed.