Uncommon histiocytic disorders: Rosai–Dorfman, juvenile xanthogranuloma, and Erdheim–Chester disease

Rosai-Dorfman disease: A case report of asymptomatic isolated renal involvement

A possible diagnosis of RDD should be kept in mind when encountering a patient with raised plasma creatinine levels and renal mass. Timely diagnosis and management of RDD will help prevent future kidney loss.

Clinical Analysis of Pediatric Systemic Juvenile Xanthogranulomas: A Retrospective Single-Center Study

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of children with systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG). Methods: Clinical data of children with JXG who were hospitalized in Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2012 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, including clinical manifestations, laboratory determinations, treatment, and prognosis of the children. Patients were treated with vindesine + prednisone as the first-line treatment and cytarabine + vindesine + dexamethasone ± cladribine as the second-line treatment. Results: Ten patients, including 8 males and 2 females, with a median of onset age of 1.95 (0.80-7.30) years, exhibited multi-system dysfunction. The median age of diagnosis was 2.45 (1.30-12.10) years. The most common location of extracutaneous lesions was the central nervous system (6 cases), followed by the lung (5 cases) and bone (4 cases). Nine patients underwent first-line chemotherapy, and 6 patients underwent second-line chemotherapy, including 5 patients with poorly controlled disease after first-line treatment. The median observation time was 29 (3-115) months. Nine patients survived, whereas one patient died of respiratory failure caused by pulmonary infection. At the end of follow-up, 7 patients were in active disease (AD)/regression state (AD-better), and 2 patients were in an AD/stable state (AD-stable). Three patients had permanent sequelae, mainly central diabetes insipidus. The rates of response to the first-line treatment and the second-line treatment were 40.0 and 66.7% respectively. Conclusion: The chemotherapy protocol for Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) may be effective for patients with systemic JXG. Central nervous system involvement may not impact overall survival, but serious permanent sequelae may occur.

[Rosai-Dorfman disease: Diagnosis and therapeutic challenges]

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) was first described by the French pathologist Paul Destombes in 1965. It frequently affects children or young adults and is characterized by the presence of large histiocytes with emperipolesis. More than 50 years after this first description, the pathogenesis of this rare disease is still poorly understood. The revised classification of histiocytoses published in 2016 identified various forms of RDD, from familial RDD to IgG4-associated RDD. Almost 90% of the patients with RDD have cervical lymph nodes involvement although all the organs may virtually be involved. Outcomes are typically favorable. Treatments may be necessary in case of compression or obstruction, and are not well codified. The main therapeutic strategies rely on surgery, radiotherapy, steroids, immunosuppressive drugs or interferon-alpha and cladribine.