Cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease

Primary cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease; a case-based review of a diagnostically and therapeutically challenging rare variant

Primary cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease is a rare form of Rosai-Dorfman disease limited to the skin. The diagnosis of primary cutaneous disease is based on a combination of clinical presentation, histopathology, and the detection of S100+, CD68+, and CD1a- histiocytic immunophenotyping. However, the diagnosis of primary cutaneous disease is often difficult and significantly delayed due to the non-specific nature of its histologic and clinical features. In this review, we describe four cases in order to familiarize pathologists and dermatopathologists with the clinicopathologic correlation of primary cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease and to help facilitate early diagnosis. In addition, we discuss the proposed pathophysiology and molecular etiology of this tumor, and its relationship with IgG4 sclerosing disease.

Cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman Disease of the Face: A Comprehensive Literature Review and Case Report

PURPOSE

Cutaneous Rosai-Dorfman disease (C-RDD) is a rare, benign, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis that can affect any skin area. The purpose of this study was to characterize C-RDD of the face through a literature review of published case reports of this lesion and present a new case of C-RDD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An English-language search of 3 databases (PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO Search) was conducted for cases of C-RDD of any skin area that had been published since 1969. Repeated citations of the same article in more than 1 database were deleted. Cases of C-RDD with solely facial involvement or involving the face and other skin parts were included and analyzed. Details of C-RDD cases (demographic features, regional distribution, clinical presentation, treatment, and follow-up course) were methodically reviewed and collected in Excel spreadsheets. Simple statistical analyses were conducted using Excel.

RESULTS

The literature search yielded 578 published cases of C-RDD affecting any skin area; of these, 65 cases (11.2%) had facial skin involvement. The male-to-female ratio was 1:1.5, and the average age at presentation was 43.5 years (standard deviation, 12.4 yr). The racial distribution of facial C-RDD was, in descending order, 74.5% in Asians, 20% in Caucasians, and 5.5% in blacks. The most commonly affected facial skin regions were the cheeks and periorbital area, and most lesions were multiple in number and bilaterally distributed. The vast majority of facial C-RDD lesions presented as asymptomatic, nonulcerative, red, nodular plaques with durations ranging from 1 month to a few years. Many methods have been attempted for the treatment of facial C-RDD. However, the combined cure rate for all published treatment methods was only 28.6%. Surgical excision was the most effective treatment method, and corticosteroids were the least effective.

CONCLUSION

This article has tried to characterize facial C-RDD lesions for easier management by maxillofacial surgeons.

Purely cutaneous rosai-dorfman disease with immunohistochemistry

Background:

The cutaneous form of Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare entity that manifests solely with skin papules or nodules and does not present with the usual myriad of symptoms of classical RDD.

Aims:

To analyze the most recent publications regarding cutaneous RDD to point out updated, relevant aspects regarding future directions for clinical recognition and management. To identify histopathologic and immunohistochemical findings in skin lesions that permit diagnosis.

Materials and Methods:

We present a case of a gentleman with a history of multiple lipomas with a new solitary nodule on physical exam; microscopic examination shows the typical findings of RDD with the associated diagnostic immunohistochemical profile, as well as the expected finding of histiocytes engulfing other intact inflammatory cells.

Results:

Our patient was managed with surgical excision of the entire lesion, one of the several available treatment options. Long-term follow-up 2 years later did not reveal any complications, recurrences, or new lesions.

Conclusion:

The diagnosis of cutaneous RDD is differentiated from other histiocytic conditions by the combination of clinical findings accompanied by histopathologic and immunohistochemical confirmation.

[Cutaneous revelation of Rosai-Dorfman disease: 7 cases]

BACKGROUND

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a benign form of non-Langerhans-cell histiocytosis. It is identified by a particular histological profile first observed in febrile lymph nodes. Extranodal sites are frequent. The most common site is the skin, which can reveal the disease despite a difficult and delayed diagnosis. Seven cases of cutaneous revelation of RDD were studied retrospectively in order to delineate the clinical characteristics and facilitate diagnosis and treatment of this extremely rare disease.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Six cases of RDD from 1990 to 2011 were identified in the photographic and histopathological records of the Saint-Louis Hospital and one case came from a Bichat Hospital consultation. The diagnosis was based in all cases on histopathology results.

RESULTS

Patients consisted of four men and three women aged between 31 and 69 years. Cutaneous lesions (3 to 20) revealed the disease in all of them and the time from disease onset to diagnosis ranged from six months to five years. The clinical presentation was erythematous or orange popular nodules or plaques, usually on the face. Microscopically, a dense dermal infiltration was observed, in some cases extending into the subcutaneous tissue, with pale histiocytic cells characterised by emperipolesis, plasma cells, lymphocytes, some neutrophils and variable fibrosis. The diagnosis, initially erroneous in 4 cases, was rectified by a second reading of histopathology slides, and immunohistochemical studies showed expression of S-100 protein in histiocytes but not CD1a. Three patients had pure cutaneous RDD. Two neurological sites and one nasal site were also found, with one ENT site and sequelae of previous uveitis in one patient. All extra-cutaneous sites were identified by clinical examination. Different treatments were proposed according to the sites and impact of the disease. In one case, the lesions regressed spontaneously after 18 months.

COMMENTS

Few RDD series have been published and they mainly concern Asian patients. The ethnic origin of our patients was varied. The main findings were: 1) common clinical findings (orange or erythematous papules or nodules, mostly on the upper body), which should alert the dermatologist and histopathologist to the possible diagnosis of RRD; 2) the possibility, already mentioned in the literature, of spontaneous regression and a good prognosis; 3) the need for thorough evaluation by thoracic, abdominal and cerebral CT (computed tomography) or more a PET (positron emission tomography) scan to screen for potentially dangerous visceral sites, and also clinical follow up.

Primary intracerebral Rosai-Dorfman disease

Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (SHML), also known as Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD), is an idiopathic histiocytic disorder of lymph nodes and extranodal sites. Central nervous system (CNS) manifestations, particularly in the absence of nodal disease, are rare. Intracranial RDD clinically and radiologically resembles meningioma, and histologic examination is essential for a definitive diagnosis. We report four patients with RDD primary to the CNS without evidence of other sites of involvement, review the literature, and discuss the clinical manifestations, pathology, treatment and outcome.