Sarcoidosis of the skin may increase risk of blood cancer: Study
Researchers analyzed 111 patients with confirmed disease from 2007 to 2023
Cutaneous sarcoidosis, a type of sarcoidosis of the skin, may increase the risk of certain blood cancers, a study suggests.
The study, “Hematologic diseases in patients with cutaneous sarcoidosis,” was published as a letter to the editor in The Journal of Dermatology, but the researchers acknowledged they knew of no case series of cutaneous sarcoidosis and blood malignancies.
A feature of sarcoidosis is chronic inflammation that leads to small clumps of immune cells — granulomas — in several tissues and organs, affecting their function. In cutaneous sarcoidosis, granulomas form in the skin and symptoms include a rash of reddish-purple bumps, usually on the ankles or shins, which may be tender to the touch, and/or skin lesions on the cheeks, nose, and ears.
Studies suggest a risk of certain blood cancers among patients with sarcoidosis, especially in more advanced stages of the disease.
Types of blood cancers with skin sarcoidosis
Researchers at Fukushima Medical University in Japan retrospectively analyzed 111 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of cutaneous sarcoidosis. They were followed from 2007 to 2023.
Seven patients (six females, 1 male; mean age, 55.3) had a blood disorder, including two with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; two with acute myeloid leukemia; one with Hodgkin lymphoma; one with essential thrombocythemia, which is marked by an excessive number of platelets; and one with polycythemia vera, a type of chronic leukemia. Platelets are small blood cells involved in blood clotting.
Cutaneous sarcoidosis preceded a blood disorder in two cases, but occurred at the same time in two other cases. In three cases, a blood disorder developed first.
Pulmonary sarcoidosis was observed in five patients, but no eye or cardiac involvement was seen. A reduction in skin lesions was observed in three patients treated with chemotherapy and corticosteroids.
A study in Denmark reported a 5.5 times higher risk of lymphoma among people with sarcoidosis over the general population. The authors noted sarcoidosis usually precedes this type of blood cancer by several years, but may occur at the same time. Its onset after lymphoma is less common, however.
Factors that may underlie a higher risk could be the greater number of certain immune cells that lead to the production of interleukin 2, a signaling molecule that fuels the proliferation of malignant B-cells, which are behind different types of blood cancers. The presence of inflammatory granulomas are also considered a risk factor for lymphoma.
More research is needed to determine whether there is a significant association linking cutaneous sarcoidosis and the risk of blood cancers, the researchers said.
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