ACUTE MYELOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA AND SARCOIDOSIS

A protracted unexplained blood dyscrasia, and late age of onset were peculiar features observed in several of the nine reported instances of sarcoidosis in which acute myeloblastic leukemia evolved. These characteristics, in combination with the observed frequency with which the two disorders have been linked, and numerous previous reports of malignancy-associated sarcoidosis, suggest that the conjunction is non-fortuitous. Seven criteria are proposed which might be employed to support a causal relationship between sarcoidosis and malignancy. A systemic granulomatous response to tumor antigen, analogous to regional sarcoid reactions, is offered as a possible explanation for this association.