[Generalized sarcoidosis in combination with a malignancy in 3 patients; the value of mediastinoscopy].

Two male patients with a testicular carcinoma and a female with a mammary carcinoma, all associated with pulmonary sarcoidosis are described. This coincidence is very rare, but clinically relevant as enlarged mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes might suggest metastatic disease or metastasis after a curative treatment. The role of mediastinoscopy in obtaining a histological diagnosis is stressed. A causal relationship between sarcoidosis and malignant diseases has not yet been established.