Lymphoma's manifestations in Sjögren's syndrome: is there a relation?

Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) is considered a multisystemic chronic disorder, which is characterized by a lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands and autoantibodies production. Aim: Several studies have demonstrated increased incidence of Lymphoma in SS patients. Our study tries to determine this relation. Study design: Transversal cohort. Material and Method: Patients with Sicca's Syndrome from the Stomathology service, Santa Casa de Misericórdia Hospital, in Sao Paulo, ENT Department, from July 1999 to April 2002. Results: Out of 39 patients, 24 were diagnose as SS. Ages ranged from 19 to 83 years old, with predominance of women (69.7%). Time between the first symptoms and SS diagnosis were variable, ranging within 3.77 years. None of the analyzed patients developed lymphoma. Conclusion: Both SS early diagnosis and the increased risk of lymphoma's development in those patients are important, reason why long-term follow-up is essential. We observed that our findings were different from those in the literature. We did not detect any cases of lymphoma in our patients.