Temporal relationship between sarcoidosis and malignancies in a nationwide cohort of 1942 patients.

PURPOSE: To investigate the phenotype of sarcoidosis according to the time when a malignancy is diagnosed (preexisting to the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, concomitant, or sequential) and to identify prognostic factors associated with malignancies in a large cohort of patients with sarcoidosis. METHODS: We searched for malignancies in the SARCOGEAS cohort, a multicenter nationwide database of consecutive patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis according to the ATS/ESC/WASOG criteria. Solid malignancies were classified using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) nomenclature, and hematological malignancies using the 2016 WHO classification. We excluded patients with a biopsy-proven diagnosis of sarcoidosis based exclusively on demonstrating granulomas in tissues also involved by malignant cells. RESULTS: Out of 1942 patients with sarcoidosis, 233 (12%) developed 250 malignancies, including solid (n = 173), hematological (n = 57), and both types of malignancies (n = 3). Concerning the time interval between the diagnoses of both conditions, 83 (36%) patients were diagnosed with malignancy at least 1 year before sarcoidosis diagnosis, 22 (9%) had s synchronous diagnosis of both diseases, and 118 (51%) developed malignancies at least 1 year after the diagnosis of sarcoidosis (the remaining cases developed malignancies in different time intervals). The multivariate-adjusted model showed that individuals with sarcoidosis who developed a malignancy had an hazard ratio (HR) of 2.27 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.62-3.17] for having an asymptomatic clinical phenotype at diagnosis of sarcoidosis and that spleen (presence vs. absence: HR = 2.06; 95% CI, 1.21-3.51) and bone marrow (presence vs. absence: HR = 3.04; 95% CI, 1.77-5.24) involvements were independent predictors for the development of all-type malignancies. No predictive factors were identified when the analysis was restricted to the development of solid malignancies. The analysis limited to the development of hematological malignancies confirmed the presence of involvement in the spleen (HR = 3.73; 95% CI, 1.38-10.06) and bone marrow (presence vs. absence: HR = 8.00; 95% CI, 3.15-20.35) at the time of sarcoidosis diagnosis as predictive factors. CONCLUSION: It is essential to consider the synchronous or metachronous timing of the diagnosis of malignancies in people with sarcoidosis. We found that half of the malignancies were diagnosed after a diagnosis of sarcoidosis, with spleen and bone marrow involvement associated with a four to eight times higher risk of developing hematological malignancies. Key messages What is already known on this topic Malignancies are one of the comorbidities more frequently encountered in people with sarcoidosis What this study adds Malignancies occur in 12% of patients with sarcoidosis Malignancy may precede, coincide with, or follow the diagnosis of sarcoidosis One-third were identified before sarcoidosis, and half were diagnosed after Spleen and bone marrow involvement are risk factors for developing hematological malignancies How this study might affect research, practice or policy Patients with sarcoidosis should be regularly monitored for neoplasms, informed of the increased risk, and educated on early detection. Those with spleen or bone marrow involvement must be closely followed.

Clinical characterization and outcomes of 85 patients with neurosarcoidosis.

To analyze the frequency and clinical phenotype of neurosarcoidosis (NS) in one of the largest nationwide cohorts of patients with sarcoidosis reported from southern Europe. NS was evaluated according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System Sarcoidosis recently proposed by Stern et al. Pathologic confirmation of granulomatous disease was used to subclassify NS into definite (confirmation in neurological tissue), probable (confirmation in extraneurological tissue) and possible (no histopathological confirmation of the disease). Of the 1532 patients included in the cohort, 85 (5.5%) fulfilled the Stern criteria for NS (49 women, mean age at diagnosis of NS of 47.6 years, 91% White). These patients developed 103 neurological conditions involving the brain (38%), cranial nerves (36%), the meninges (3%), the spinal cord (10%) and the peripheral nerves (14%); no patient had concomitant central and peripheral nerve involvements. In 59 (69%) patients, neurological involvement preceded or was present at the time of diagnosis of the disease. According to the classification proposed by Stern et al., 11 (13%) were classified as a definite NS, 61 (72%) as a probable NS and the remaining 13 (15%) as a possible NS. In comparison with the systemic phenotype of patients without NS, patients with CNS involvement presented a lower frequency of thoracic involvement (82% vs 93%, q = 0.018), a higher frequency of ocular (27% vs 10%, q < 0.001) and salivary gland (15% vs 4%, q = 0.002) WASOG involvements. In contrast, patients with PNS involvement showed a higher frequency of liver involvement (36% vs 12%, p = 0.02) in comparison with patients without NS. Neurosarcoidosis was identified in 5.5% of patients. CNS involvement prevails significantly over PNS involvement, and both conditions do not overlap in any patient. The systemic phenotype associated to each involvement was clearly differentiated, and can be helpful not only in the early identification of neurological involvement, but also in the systemic evaluation of patients diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis.

Venous thrombosis and relapses in patients with Behçet's disease. Descriptive analysis from Spanish network of Behçet's disease (REGEB cohort).

OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of patients with Behçet's disease (BD) who presented with venous thrombosis. In addition, we identified the factors associated with this venous involvement and those related with recurrent venous thrombosis. METHODS: Up to January 2015, 544 BD patients from 20 Spanish hospitals had been included in the REGEB (REGistro de la Enfermedad de Behçet as Spanish nomenclature). We selected those patients who presented venous thrombosis. Descriptive analysis was performed and factors related with venous thrombosis were identified. RESULTS: Overall, 99 (18.2%) BD patients had vascular thrombosis, 91 (16.7%) of them (16.7%) involving venous vessels and 18 (19.7%) suffered from venous thrombotic relapse. Lower limbs were the most common location of deep venous thrombosis present in up to 60% of patients. In 12 (13.2%) patients, venous thrombosis affected two vascular territories simultaneously and in 6 (6.6%) the venous and arterial involvement coincided in time. Overall, at the diagnosis of venous thrombosis, 97.6% of patients presented concomitantly other clinical symptoms attributable to BD. In logistic regression multivariate analysis factors associated to venous thrombosis were male sex (Odds ratio [OR] 4.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5-7.7), erythema nodosum (OR 2.4, 95%CI 1.4-4.1), fever (OR 2.0, 95%CI 1.1-3.8), and central nervous system (CNS) involvement (OR 2.5, 95%CI 1.3-4.8). Considering relapses, CNS involvement was an independent risk factor according logistic regression. However, Cox multivariate analysis did not confirm this finding. CONCLUSIONS: We identified factors related with venous involvement in patients included in the REGEB cohort.

[Peritoneal tuberculosis: a 16-year review in a general hospital]. / Peritonitis tuberculosa: revisión de 16 años en un hospital general.

INTRODUCTION: Peritoneal tuberculosis (PT) is a form of abdominal tuberculosis that accounts for 1%-3% of all cases of tuberculous disease and often manifests with non-specific symptoms. METHODS: Cases of PT diagnosed over a period of 16 years are reviewed and the epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and outcome data are analyzed. RESULTS: Among 462 patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis, PT was documented in 13 patients (2.8%), only one whom was infected by human immunodeficiency virus. In most patients, the diagnosis was established on histological findings. In 5 cases, ascitic fluid culture was positive, and the diagnosis was established by this method alone in 3 of them. A multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing strain was isolated in one patient. The remaining strains isolated were sensitive to classic antituberculosis drugs. Ten patients were treated with 3 antituberculosis agents and 2 were treated with 4 drugs. Eight patients progressed favorably and 5 died due to complications of their underlying medical conditions. CONCLUSION: Peritoneal tuberculosis can develop without evidence of concomitant tuberculous disease. Histology is usually needed to confirm the diagnosis, and the prognosis is good with prompt treatment.