NEW YORK – Do not rush to biopsy every patient with Sjögren’s syndrome who presents with salivary gland enlargement, Dr. Steven E. Carsons said at a rheumatology meeting sponsored by New York University.

"My approach to lymphoma surveillance in Sjögren’s syndrome is to depend on clinical judgment, relying on the bedside exam coupled with basic laboratory measures," said Dr. Carsons, professor of medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

It’s important to remain cognizant of the fact that patients with Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) have a 16- to 40-fold increased relative risk of malignant non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, commonly of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) in the salivary glands. Given that half of patients with primary SS present with salivary gland enlargement at some point during their illness, it is impractical to biopsy them all.

Chronic inflammation of salivary and lachrymal glands is characteristic of SS. Salivary dysfunctions, such as dry mouth, salivary gland swelling, and abnormal scintigraphy or sialography, are key elements of the American-European Consensus Criteria for SS. In primary SS, enlargement of the salivary gland may be due to benign causes such as inflammation or blockage. Conditions other than SS to consider when evaluating swollen salivary glands are sialadenitis due to infection with hepatitis C or HIV, the presence of IgG4-related systemic disease, sarcoidosis, and amyloidosis or isolated salivary gland lymphoma or other neoplasms.

The risk of lymphoma is increased in SS patients. Cohort studies report that about 5%-10% of patients with primary SS develop malignant B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Sjögren’s Syndrome, in "Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology," 8th ed., Saunders, 2009, pp. 1149-68). The cumulative risk has recently been estimated as ranging from 3.4% in the first 5 years to 9.8% at 15 years (Semin. Arthritis Rheum. 2011;41:415-23).

Because it is impractical to biopsy every patient who presents with enlarged salivary glands, Dr. Carsons said that his clinical suspicions are raised when a patient develops enlargement of the salivary gland over time or when a firm nodule emerges, especially when the patient also develops lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, weight loss, fever, or pulmonary infiltration. Loss of specific autoreactivities, such as antinuclear antibodies and anti-Sjögren’s syndrome A and B antibodies, may also indicate malignant transformation.

If any of these clinical findings are present, a biopsy is warranted, according to Dr. Carsons. The biopsy can be excisional, either by core needle or by excision of the node. Appropriate tissue analyses include immunoglobulin light-chain typing, hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, and gene rearrangement studies. "I find pathology studies are not always conclusive," said Dr. Carsons. "Even the most prevalent rearrangements seen in [MALT] lymphomas are only present in 18% of cases." Intense glandular inflammation can produce histologic changes that may be difficult for pathologists to distinguish from lymphoma.

At this point, imaging studies may be considered, but Dr. Carsons noted that these results do not yield specific diagnoses. Even findings from PET imaging may show intermediate avidity in the presence of active inflammation. "Sometimes, there is still no conclusion at the end of the workup. Then we move back, reset the algorithm, and follow the patient clinically."

When the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is made, management strategies should take into account both the stage of the malignancy and the activity of extraglandular primary SS ("Sjögren’s Syndrome," Springer, 2011, pp. 345-55). According to Dr. Carsons, most MALT lymphomas are usually indolent, with a 5-year survival of 86%-95% regardless of whether the lymphoma is localized. Incidentally discovered non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in patients with primary SS may not progress, even when untreated. For those reasons, if the lymphoma is asymptomatic and the primary SS disease activity is low, it is acceptable to follow a course of watchful waiting, and treatments should focus on the SS symptoms using medications, such as hydroxychloroquinolone or NSAIDs.

When the lymphoma is symptomatic but localized, and the SS activity is low, watchful waiting may still be appropriate or it may be time to begin treatment with low-dose radiation therapy for the lymphoma. Medications for SS should be continued.

If the lymphoma becomes symptomatic and/or disseminated and SS activity is high, rituximab should be initiated, with or without cyclophosphamide or a chemotherapy regimen consisting of cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin hydrochloride (doxorubicin hydrochloride), vincristine, and prednisone.

Rituximab may show promise for patients with primary Sjögren’s even in the absence of lymphoma. In a randomized, single-center trial of 30 patients with SS, a regimen of rituximab 1,000 mg twice a month stimulated salivary flow and significantly improved oral and ocular dryness as well as other Sjögren’s symptoms (Arthritis Rheum. 2010;62:960-8).

Dr. Carsons reported no relevant financial relationships.

Management of Lymphoma Associated with Sjögren's Syndrome