Sarcoidosis as a paraneoplastic syndrome for breast cancer.

Abstract

e12587 Background: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. The pathogenesis of sarcoidosis is believed to be a result from a cellular immune reaction from exposure to occupational, environmental, or infectious elements that lead to the formation of noncaseating granulomas. Non-caseating granulomas are also present in cancer , and it is well known that the cancer cells carry neo-antigens, leading to a possible association between cancer and sarcoidosis. Several studies have shown an increased risk of breast cancer , in particular, in patients with sarcoidosis, but only a few studies have analyzed the incidence of sarcoidosis following breast cancer diagnosis. The present study aimed to identify patients with sarcoidosis following a diagnosis of breast cancer in our cohort of sarcoidosis. Methods: This is a retrospective case-series study between 2008-2018 of patients with sarcoidosis in the University of Miami Sarcoidosis Program. Sarcoidosis was defined per the World Association for Sarcoidosis and other Granulomatous Disorders guidelines. Breast cancer diagnosis was confirmed through pathology. We collected demographic data of age, gender, ethnicity and the time between diagnosis of breast cancer and sarcoidosis by chart review. Clincial data including clinical manifestations, laboratories, staging, and treatment were also collected. Results: Among 125 patients in our registry, 26 patients had a diagnosis of both cancer and sarcoidosis. In this, 12 (46%) developed sarcoidosis after the diagnosis of breast cancer and are the study population. Among them, 12(100%) were female. The most common ethnic group in the study population was European American with 8(67%) followed by African Americans 2(16.7%) and Hispanic 2(16.7%). Eight (67%) patients were treated with chemotherapy, 7(58%) with radiotherapy, of this, 6 (50%) received both. Mean (SD) age of onset of sarcoidosis was 61.9 ( 10.8) years . The mean time interval between breast cancer diagnosis and the onset of sarcoidosis was 5.58 ( 5.24) years ( (see Figure 1). Nine (75%) had pulmonary sarcoidosis and 3(25%) cardiac sarcoidosis. Among the subjects with pulmonary sarcoidosis 1(11.1%) had Stage 4, 4(44.4%) had Stage 2 and 4(44.4%) had stage 1. Conclusions: Our findings suggest sarcoidosis may be a paraneoplastic characteristic of breast cancer. The mechanism of granuloma development remains unclear. Cancer mediated immune dysregulation could be a potential contributing factor. Further studies are warranted to establish a definitive association.