-Case Reports-

Small Cell Lung Cancer with Sarcoidosis in Spontaneous Remission: A Case Report

Yumeka Sasaki¹, Yasuhiko Koga¹, Norimitsu Kasahara¹, Yoshimasa Hachisu¹, Keisuke Murata¹, Hiroaki Tsurumaki¹, Masakiyo Yatomi¹, Yusuke Tsukagoshi¹, Yuri Sawada¹, Reiko Sakurai², Akihiro Ono¹, Noriaki Sunaga¹, Kyoichi Kaira³, Junko Hirato⁴, Toshitaka Maeno¹, Kunio Dobashi⁵ and Takeshi Hisada¹

¹Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
²Oncology Center, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
³Department of Oncology Clinical Development, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan
⁴Department of Pathology, Gunma University Hospital, Gunma, Japan
⁵Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Gunma, Japan

A 69-year-old woman was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, which was not treated with corticosteroid therapy. Her levels of angiotensin converting enzyme decreased significantly over 4 years and a mass lesion was detected near the lower part of her left main bronchus, and diagnosed as small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Treatment of the SCLC with a series of chemotherapeutic agents produced excellent results. The pulmonary sarcoidosis did not show any deterioration despite the frequent use of amrubicin, which is known to be a cause of interstitial pneumonia. This is a case report of SCLC complicated with sarcoidosis in a stage of spontaneous remission, possibly suggesting an association between sarcoidosis and tumor immunity, since recent reports have suggested that immune checkpoint inhibitors might be involved in the development of sarcoidosis.

J Nippon Med Sch 2018; 85: 291-296

Keywords
sarcoidosis, small cell lung cancer, checkpoint inhibitor, ipilimumab, amrubicin

Correspondence to
Yasuhiko Koga, Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-15 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
ykoga@gunma-u.ac.jp

Received, February 18, 2018
Accepted, May 27, 2018