Mediastinal Castleman disease mimicking mediastinal pulmonary sequestration

Clinical spectrum of intrathoracic Castleman disease: a retrospective analysis of 48 cases in a single Chinese hospital

Background

Thorax is the common place to develop Castleman disease (CD), but there is no systemic clinical analysis for intrathoracic CD.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 48 intrathoracic CD patients with definite pathological diagnosis who were hospitalized between 1992 and 2012 in a Chinese tertiary referral hospital.

Results

The study included 16 cases with unicentric CD (UCD) and 32 cases with multicentric CD (MCD). UCD were younger than MCD (30.5y vs 41.6ys, P < 0.05). MCD were more symptomatic (50% vs 96.9%, P < 0.001) and sicker than UCD, including more fever, hepatomegaly and/or splenomegaly and hypoalbuminemia. All of UCD showed solitary mass in various sites and two of them were complicated by small pleural effusion. In the MCD group, their chest CT showed obvious lymphadenopathy in the hilum and/or mediastinum (100%), diffuse parenchymal lung shadows (43.75%), pleural effusion (40.6%), mass in the mediastinum (6.25%) or hilum (3.12%) and bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) (3.12%). Besides LIP-like images, multiple nodules of different size and sites, patchy, ground-glass opacities and consolidation were showed in their chest CT. Surgery were arranged for all UCD for diagnosis and treatment and all were alive. In MCD group, superficial lymph nodes biopsies (21 cases), surgery biopsy (9 cases) and CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy (2 cases) were performed. Hyaline vascular (HV) variant were more common in the UCD group (75% vs 37.5%, P < 0.05). In MCD group, 28 cases were prescribed with chemotherapy, one refused to receive therapy and the rest three were arranged for regular follow-up. Among MCD, 18 cases was improved, 7 cases was stable, 4 cases lost follow-up and 3 cases died.

Conclusions

Intrathoracic MCD was more common than UCD in our hospital. MCD was older, more symptomic and sicker than UCD. HV variant were more common in UCD. All of UCD showed mass in various intrathoracic locations and surgery resection was performed for all and all were alive. Mass, pleural effusion, BO and diffuse pulmonary shadows, including LIP-like images, multiple nodules of different size and sites, patchy, GGO and consolidations were showed in our MCD. Most of MCD cases were arranged with chemotherapy and their prognosis were worse than UCD’s.

Lymphoproliferative lung disorders: a radiologic-pathologic overview. Part I: Reactive disorders

Lymphoid tissue is a normal component of the lung and manifests as intrapulmonary lymph nodes, bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT), peripheral lymphocytic aggregates, solitary lymphocytes, and phagocytic cells. Pulmonary lymphoid lesions are thought to develop as a consequence of anomalous stimulation and response of the bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue and manifests as a spectrum of lymphoproliferative disorders that may be reactive or neoplastic. Reactive disorders are polyclonal abnormalities and include nodular lymphoid hyperplasia, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia, follicular bronchiolitis, angiofollicular hyperplasia, and enlarged intrapulmonary lymph nodes. Affected patients are often asymptomatic. Imaging findings include focal nodules, diffuse bilateral centrilobular nodules, and hilar or mediastinal masses.

Castleman's Disease Mimicking Carotid Body Tumor

The authors present a case of 41-year-old patient with unicentric type of Castleman's disease in the neck imitating carotid glomus tumor. This rare condition can affect any lymph-node in the body and neck localization occurs only in 14% of cases. The case when Castleman's disease simulating chemodectoma have not been described yet in the literature. The authors give details on the course of the disease, its diagnosis and treatment and the discussion focuses on the reasons why the auxiliary imaging methods have led to the clinical diagnosis of carotid glomus tumor, and why the treatment was chosen.

Castleman-like reaction due to toxic substance ingestion

Castleman disease (CD) is an uncommon lymphoproliferative disorder with a unique histopathology. Generally diagnosis is not difficult for an experienced pathologist. However, not usually, some histopathological entities or tissue reactions may mimic CD. Here CD-like reaction due to toxic substance ingestion has been presented.