Sarcoidosis or Sarcoid Reaction With Lung Cancer in Ethnic Han Chinese Patients: A Single Center Experience and Literature Review

Abstract

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> The aim of the present study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of the sarcoidosis (SA) or sarcoid reaction (SR) with lung cancer in ethnic Han Chinese patients. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> A retrospective review based on discharge summaries from January 2004 to December 2014 was performed with tissue-proved at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital and the cases report of Chinese patients had been revived. The clinical and follow-up data of those patients were collected and their clinical features, treatment and prognosis were analyzed. <h3>Results</h3> Of the 536 sarcoidosis patients, 1.31% (7/536) patients with lung cancer in our hospital. With the patients in literature, 12 patients had the SA or SR with lung cancer. Our report patients (median 60 yrs; 58.71±7.59 yrs) were significantly older than the patients with SA only (49.19±10.83 yrs, P=0.002<0.05). Our lung cancer patients with SA or SR were predominantly in women (F/M: 5/2). And the most common type was adenocarcinoma (100%, 7/7). The symptoms of those patients were not specific. 57.14% (4/7) had no symptoms, 28.57% (2/7) had cough, 14.29% (1/7) had chest pain. All patients presented lymph node involvement. The size of the lung cancer was from 0.5-6cm (2.47±1.90). The treatment of cancer and SA/SR did not influence each other. Our cases were followed up for 18 to 90 months (average 36 months) and were all alive during the follow-up period. <h3>Conclusion</h3> The incidence of SA/SR with lung cancer is not high in our subjects and easily associated with early stage of lung cancer. The biopsy of lung and lymph nodes is essential to accurate diagnose and the right TNM stage of lung cancer. The SA/SR may be a protective factor against lung cancer relapse.