Gougerot-Sjögren syndrome disclosed by MALT lymphoma of the salivary glands. Report of 3 cases]

Sjögren's syndrome is characterized by an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The lymphoma is most frequently extra-nodal, preferentially affecting the salivary gland: low-grade MALT lymphoma. Conversely, underlying Sjögren's syndrome has been recently identified by some authors in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the present report, we present three cases of Sjögren's syndrome disclosed by low-grade salivary gland MALT lymphoma. The patients were all women aged 33, 38 and 52 years. Extension work-up revealed nodal and bone marrow involvement in one case and no evidence of disseminated disease in the two others. Using the European criteria, all of our patients had certain Sjögren's syndrome. Labial salivary gland biopsy and immunopathological studies in newly diagnosed low-grade MALT lymphoma would be helpful in identifying the real frequency of this association.