Abstract
We describe a 49-year-old patient with lip biopsy proven Sjogren's syndrome (SS) and keratoconjunctivitis sicca, who had dental caries, xerostomia, recurrent upper respiratory tract infections, arthritis in her hands, elbows and knees, and recurrent parotid inflammation. She developed bilateral breast nodules in 1988. Right breast nodules were excised in 1993 and 1995, but reappeared in 1996, requiring 2 more excisions. Breast tissue samples showed remarkable intralobular and perilobular mononuclear cell infiltrates that were predominantly CD4+ T cells and expressed bcl-2. A few cells stained CD20+ and CD8+. SS breast glandular epithelial cells stained more intensely for Fas compared to normal cells. CD4+ T cells and Fas mediated cell death may be involved in the mammary gland lesions in SS.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1226-1231 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Rheumatology |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 6 |
State | Published - Jun 1998 |
Keywords
- Breast nodules
- CD4
- Exocrine glands
- Fas ligand
- Lymphocyte infiltrates
- Sjogren's syndrome
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Rheumatology
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology