Cytotoxic agents in the treatment of laryngeal sarcoidosis: A case report and review of the literature

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease with various clinical manifestations. It is characterized primarily on a histopathologic basis by the presence of noncaseating granulomata. Laryngeal involvement reportedly occurs in 3-5% of cases, and it is typically localized to the supraglottic region. Patients often present with hoarseness, dysphagia, stridor, or dyspnea. Laryngoscopy typically demonstrates a pale, edematous epiglottis studded with nodules.(1) Tissue biopsy reveals the classic noncaseating granuloma; however, the finding is not diagnostic. Sarcoidosis remains a diagnosis of exclusion to be entertained once other verifiable etiologies for granulomatous disease of the larynx, such as TB, syphilis, fungal infection, berylliosis, or Wegener's granulomatosis, have been ruled out.(2) Systemic corticosteroids remain the mainstay of treatment; however, new steroid-sparing therapies that target the inflammatory response of sarcoidosis are currently being investigated. The case history of a patient with laryngeal sarcoidosis who was managed with the immunosuppressant azathioprine (Imuran) is summarized along with a discussion of other treatment options.