Laparoscopically resected Castleman's disease in the pelvic retroperitoneum: A case report

Rare retroperitoneal conditions that mimic uterine myoma

The most frequent tumoral condition of the uterus is represented by uterine myoma. The diagnosis, in most cases, is established by clinical examination and ultrasound scan. Nevertheless, there are rare cases, in which the surgical findings reveal a retroperitoneal tumor instead of a uterine myoma. These could be represented by schwannomas or Castleman disease. The schwannomas are rarely malignant and arise from the Schwann cells of nerve fibers. These tumors are frequently found at the level of the head, neck and mediastinum and rarely in the pelvis. Generally, schwannomas localized at retroperitoneal level are asymptomatic and with a very slow growth rate. The treatment consists in complete surgical resection. The recurrence rate is low and, generally, the prognosis is good. The Castleman disease is considered a rare entity, but it should be always taken into consideration when it comes to a differential diagnosis in a young patient who presents a retroperitoneal mass at imagery exams. The condition affects the lymphatic system and is characterized by a hyperplasia of the lymph nodes, sometimes associated with herpes virus infection. The clinical picture is often non-specific; the pain may be the only symptom. The imaging methods are not always conclusive for the final positive diagnosis and the histopathological examination is always necessary. Pelvic Castleman disease can be misdiagnosed as myoma or an adnexal tumor. In this article, we review the present knowledge regarding the pathogenesis, pathology and management of these rare retroperitoneal tumors. Both conditions, when located in pelvis must be taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis of uterine myomas, especially in the pedunculated form.

Castleman's disease: Laparoscopic resection of unicentric disease in the hepatic hilum: A case report

Introduction and importance

Castleman's disease was first reported by Benjamin Castleman et al., in 1954 and described it as a sporadic lymphoproliferative disorder. The pathophysiology to this day is still unknown, although IL-6 is suspected to play an important role. Preoperative diagnosis is challenging due to its non-specific symptoms, and that imaging cannot clearly distinguish the disease from other processes. High clinical awareness is necessary to reach a diagnosis. If the disease is localized, complete recovery can be achieved through surgery.

Case presentation

Patient is a 68-year-old woman with a three-month history of recurrent episodes of fever, myalgias, and night sweats. She started to experience lower abdominal pain and presented to the emergency room. A contrast-enhanced abdominal computed tomography revealed a 5 cm well-circumscribed focal heterogeneously enhancing hyperplastic mass between the portal vein and the inferior vena cava. After successful laparoscopic surgery, the mass was resected, and the patient fully recovered. Unicentric Castleman's disease was the final diagnosis.

Discussion and conclusion

Castleman's disease is an uncommon pathology with a challenging diagnosis. When approaching an abdominal mass, unicentric Castleman's disease should always be a differential diagnosis, as treatment can be curative with surgical resection. With the advent of laparoscopic and robotic surgery, these techniques can improve patients' outcomes in these rare pathologies, especially when they appear in complex regions.

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Castleman's disease is an uncommon pathology with a challenging diagnosis.

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Abdominal Unicentric Castleman's disease must be considered when approaching a patient with an abdominal mass.

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Surgery is the most effective treatment for Unicentric Castleman's disease, and with laparoscopy, better results are expected.