CD4 MONONUCLEAR CELL INFILTRATES AND FAS FAS LIGAND POSITIVE MAMMARY-GLAND CELLS IN BREAST-TISSUE FROM A PATIENT WITH SJOGRENS-SYNDROME/

We describe a 49-year-old patient with lip biopsy proven Sjogren's syn drome (SS) and keratoconjunctivitis sicca, who had dental caries, xero stomia, recurrent upper respiratory tract infections, arthritis in her hands, elbows and knees, and recurrent parotid inflammation. She deve loped bilateral breast nodules in 1988. Right breast nodules were exci sed in 1993 and 1995, but reappeared in 1996, requiring 2 more excisio ns. Breast tissue samples showed remarkable intralobular and perilobul ar mononuclear cell infiltrates that were predominantly CD4+ T cells a nd expressed bcl-2, A few cells stained CD20+ and CD8+. SS breast glan dular epithelial cells stained more intensely for Fas compared to norm al cells. CD4+ T cells and Fas mediated cell death may be involved in the mammary gland lesions in SS.