Sarcoidosis complicated by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Report of a case

A 31-year-old male who had suffered from sarcoidosis since the age of eight developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 23 years after the sarcoidosis was diagnosed. During the course of chemotherapy the patient developed hepatic failure and died of pulmonary hemorrhages. This appeared to be a case of the sarcoidosis-lymphoma syndrome first described by Brincker and which has been rarely reported in Japan. We review the literature on this disorder and the immunologic abnormalities considered to participate in the lesions.