Sarcoidosis and squamous cell carcinoma: a connection documented in a case series of 3 patients

Sarcoidosis is a chronic multisystem disease characterized by the formation of noncaseating granulomas in multiple organs, including the skin. An association between multisystem sarcoidosis and an increased risk for malignancy has been established. Dermatologists should be aware of the increased risk for nonmelanoma skin cancers in patients with sarcoidosis. We report a series of 3 patients with primarily cutaneous sarcoidosis who presented with new-onset cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Two patients were black women and 1 patient presented with lesions of cutaneous sarcoidosis arising concurrently with SCCs in the same location, distinguishable only by biopsy. These cases highlight the association between sarcoidosis and an increased risk for SCC. Because dermatologists may be the primary clinicians caring for these patients, it is important that they remain aware of the increased risk for cutaneous malignancies and that they have a low threshold for biopsy of new and unusual skin lesions. Furthermore, 2 patients were black women, a population not commonly affected by skin cancer, which further exemplifies the need for comprehensive skin examinations in black patients. Although the precise mechanism for an increased risk for malignancy in these patients requires further investigation, chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation may play a role.