Clinical and laboratory characterization of 114 cases of Castleman disease patients from a single centre: paraneoplastic pemphigus is an unfavourable prognostic factor

Prognostic value of serum C-reactive protein in idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease and construction of a prognostic model for patients

Background

Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is a type of the rare lymphoproliferative diseases. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a well-recognized biomarker of inflammation, frequently exhibits elevated levels in individuals diagnosed with iMCD. However, its prognostic value of this factor in iMCD remains uncertain.

Methods

The clinical manifestations, biochemical information, treatment plan and overall survival time (OS) of 68 iMCD patients with basic information such as age, sex, time of first diagnosis, blood routine and serum CRP level data from 6 medical institutionsin China and abroad were retrospectively analyzed. The median follow-up time of the study was 44.47 months. The serum CRP level was divided into two groups according to the prognostic relationship by X-tile software, and then it was included in the risk model CRP-A for predicting death, together with the age of first visit > 60 years old, Hemoglobin (HGB) ≤ 80g/L, hepatomegaly and/or splenomegaly and plasma cell (PC) type. The predictive ability of the clinical model was evaluated by drawing calibration curve and ROC curve. The factors affecting the level of serum CRP were analyzed.

Results

Using the Kaplan-Meier method, our analysis suggested that a higher serum CRP level (>26.8 mg/L) was associated with worse overall survival in patients (p = 0.004). We developed a multivariable prognostic model based on serum CRP levels to assess survival outcomes in iMCD. The discriminative performance of the model for mortality events was validated through calibration plots and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves highlighting CRP as a key biomarker associated with disease prognosis. Additionally, analyzing by chi-square test and Fisher's exact test showed that age, B-symptoms, hypoalbuminemia, ECOG and plasma cell type were significantly associated with high serum CRP level in patients with iMCD, and that fibrinogen levels was positively correlated with CRP level.

Conclusion

High serum CRP levels are associated with a variety of clinical manifestations and laboratory abnormalities.

Unicentric Castleman disease complicated with bronchiolitis obliterans: A single-centre retrospective study from China

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a rare and life-threatening complication of unicentric Castleman disease (UCD), which is considered the leading cause of death in UCD. However, few studies focused on the characteristics of UCD patients complicated with BO. This single-centre, retrospective study of 281 patients diagnosed with UCD identified 18 patients (6.4%) with BO. UCD-BO patients had a significantly lower age at UCD diagnosis than the UCD without BO group. 94.4% of UCD-BO patients had deep lymph nodes involvement and 83.3% of them had paraneoplastic pemphigus, which were both significantly higher than UCD without BO. Median forced expiratory volume in 1 s of predicted was 20.9% (10%-41.9%) and 83.3% patients had severe BO. All patients underwent complete resection for UCD. 61.1% patients developed BO after surgery. UCD-BO patients had a poorer overall survival than UCD without BO. Among severe BO, 11 patients did not receive lung transplantation and two of them died, with 62.5% (95% CI, 20.8%-100%) of estimated 5-year overall survival. Four patients underwent lung transplantation and they all survived. UCD-BO patients had distinct clinical identity. Complete resection could neither alleviate BO nor prevent BO progression. Lung transplantation is a vital treatment for improving prognosis for patients with severe BO.

A case report of Castleman disease with paraneoplastic pemphigus and bronchiolitis obliterans: Challenges and key takeaways

INTRODUCTION

Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder, subdivided into three types: unicentric Castleman disease, idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease and human herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) associated multicentric Castleman disease. The retroperitoneum comprises only 13 % of the cases.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a case of a 36-year-old female who presented with skin lesions in a dermatology clinic. Her CT scan revealed a left retroperitoneal soft tissue mass that measured 5.6 × 7.8 × 6.7 cm. On laparoscopy, a 10 × 5 cm retroperitoneal mass located in close proximity to the left renal vessels was noted. Histopathology revealed dense lymphoid infiltrate with follicular hyperplasia having atretic germinal centres, confirming the diagnosis of Castleman disease.

DISCUSSION

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) and bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) are complications associated with Castleman disease. PNP is always associated with an underlying neoplasm and diagnosis of PNP should prompt work up for underlying malignancy. BO is a progressive and debilitating condition that responds poorly to medical therapy and lung transplant is the only viable treatment option. On account of vascular nature of these lesions, pre operative embolization should be considered. Ureteric stenting may also be helpful to delineate ureters while dissecting retroperitoneal mass.

CONCLUSION

Mucocutaneous lesions suspicious for PNP should be thoroughly investigated and necessary imaging must be obtained to look for underlying neoplastic process. CT scan is an effective diagnostic modality; however, it has its limitations and PET/CT may provide additional benefits in diagnosis. Prior to resection, careful surgical planning, including ureteric stenting and pre-operative embolization may be required.

Mediastinal Castleman disease presenting as a paraspinal mass causing back pain and shortness of breath in a young adult

This case report details a rare presentation of unicentric Castleman disease (UCD), hyaline vascular type in a 22-year-old woman. The patient presented with a large, well-circumscribed mass in the paravertebral region causing back pain and shortness of breath. Diagnostic imaging and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis, and surgical excision led to a favorable outcome. This case underscores the critical need to include Castleman disease in the differential diagnosis for young adults presenting with mediastinal masses. Early recognition and surgical intervention are essential for a favorable prognosis in UCD cases.

The clinical picture of Castleman disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Castleman disease (CD) encompasses a spectrum of rare disorders, including unicentric CD (UCD), idiopathic multicentric CD (iMCD), and human herpesvirus 8-associated MCD (HHV8+ MCD). We performed a systematic review of publications reporting ≥5 cases of CD between 1995 and 2021, following preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines, to describe and compare subtypes. We extracted data on clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters as stated in international consensus diagnostic criteria for iMCD and estimated the frequency of each criterion using meta-analyses. We analyzed 32 studies describing 559 UCD, 1023 iMCD, and 416 HHV8+ MCD cases. Although many symptoms and laboratory abnormalities occurred at similar rates in patients with iMCD and HHV8+ MCD, patients with HHV8+ MCD had significantly higher rates of constitutional symptoms (46.6% vs 98.6%; P = .038) and splenomegaly (48.2% vs 89.2%; P = .031). Renal dysfunction was significantly more common in patients with iMCD than in patients with HHV8+ MCD before adjustment (36.9% vs 17.4%; P = .04; adjusted P = .1). Patients with UCD had lower rates of symptoms and laboratory abnormalities, although these were present in 20% of patients and were particularly pronounced in pediatric UCD. There are many similarities in the symptomatology of iMCD and HHV8+ MCD; many patients experience constitutional symptoms and organ dysfunction. Differences between these subtypes likely reflect differences in pathophysiology and/or comorbidity burdens.

A rare case report of hyaline-vascular type Castleman disease in the presacral region

Castleman disease (CD), also known as giant lymph node hyperplasia or angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia, is a rare and indeterminate group of chronic lymphoproliferative disorders. CD is highly heterogeneous, classified into unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) and multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) based on lesion distribution, and further categorized into three pathological types: hyaline vascular type (HV), plasma cell type (PC), and mixed type (Mix). This paper describes a rare case of solitary mediastinal Castleman disease with transparent vessels in the anterior sacrum, presenting as the HV type. Surgical excision of the mass was performed following coccygectomy for treatment. The patient recovered well postoperatively. During a 6-month follow-up period, there were no signs of recurrence, and the patient's quality of life significantly improved.

Stroma-Rich Hyaline Vascular Type of Castleman Disease: A Case Report and Literature Review

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by abnormal lymph node enlargement. We present the first documented case of a stroma-rich variant of hyaline vascular Castleman disease in Saudi Arabia. A 24-year-old Saudi female known to have acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive myasthenia gravis (MG) presented with shortness of breath, oral thrush, and an acute myasthenia gravis exacerbation, necessitating intensive care unit (ICU) admission. During her hospitalization, she was found to have a large pelvic mass. The mass was surgically excised. The diagnosis of stroma-rich hyaline vascular Castleman disease was rendered after histopathological examination. The patient's symptoms improved after the surgery. This case underscores the importance of considering Castleman disease in complex clinical presentations, especially in the context of autoimmune and paraneoplastic diseases. Recognition and timely intervention are crucial for patient management. Additionally, the report adds to the global literature on Castleman disease, emphasizing the need for further research into its clinical manifestations and associations.

[Unusual gluteal localization of unicentric Castleman's disease: A case report and review of the literature]

BACKGROUND

Castleman's disease is a rare and benign lymphoproliferative disorder which can be unicentric (UCD) or multicentric (MCD). UCD usually involves a single lymph node or less frequently a group of lymph nodes. The most common sites of nodal UCD presentation are the mediastinum, neck, abdomen and retroperitoneum. Rarely extranodal involvement has been reported. The intramuscular location is very unusual with only about 10 cases described in medical literature so far.

CASE REPORT

We present a case of atypical localization of Castleman's disease occurring in the right gluteal area in a 40-years-old female patient. The patient was asymptomatic and clinical examination was unremarkable except for a right gluteal palpable mass. The CT scanner-guided needle core biopsy was inconclusive. A surgical excision was then performed that revealed a hyaline-vascular type of Castleman's disease. The patient has an uneventful post-operative course.

CONCLUSION

The present case is instructive in the work-up of primary soft tissue tumors, for which Castleman's disease is extremely rare and not considered in the differential diagnosis of clinicians. Pathologists must be aware of its existence so that it can be evoked in the presence of a lymphoid population on histological examination.

Whole-Exome Sequencing Reveals the Genomic Profile and IL6ST Variants as a Prognostic Biomarker of Paraneoplastic Pemphigus-Associated Unicentric Castleman Disease

Unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder. Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a major complication associated with poor UCD prognosis. However, the genomic profiles and prognostic biomarkers of PNP-associated UCD remain unclear. In this study, we performed whole-exome sequencing analysis for 28 matched tumor-normal pairs and 9 tumor-only samples to define the genomic landscape of Chinese patients with PNP-associated UCD. An integrative analysis was performed to identify somatic variants, the mutational signatures, and key pathways in tumors. Besides, we analyzed the relationship among mutated genes, clinical characteristics, and prognosis. Sixty-one somatic mutant genes were identified in >1 patient with PNP-associated UCD. Specifically, IL6ST and PDGFRB were the most frequently mutated genes (32%), followed by DPP6 (18%) and MUC4 (18%). Signaling molecules and interactions, cellular processes, and signal transduction pathways were enriched. Furthermore, we found that poor overall survival was related to IL6ST variants (P = .02). Finally, we classified PNP-associated UCD into 4 genomic subgroups: IL6ST, PDGFRB, IL6ST-PDGFRB, and an unknown subgroup. In summary, we defined the molecular profile of PNP-associated UCD and identified a potential molecular biomarker for predicting prognosis, which may provide therapeutic targets for treating this severe disorder.

Retrospective cohort evaluation of non-HIV Castleman disease from a single academic center in Beijing, China

The purpose is to ascertain the clinical impact of Castleman disease (CD) by reassessment of the real-world data from Peking University First Hospital (PKUFH). The results will contribute to the standardization of diagnosis and treatment on CDs. Based on the last 15-year retrospective real-world data from Peking University First Hospital (PKUFH), we reclassified and re-evaluated the clinical and pathological information of patients with pathologically suspected diagnosis of CD. A total of 203 patients were included in our study, in which the diagnosis of CD was confirmed in 189 cases, including 118 patients with unicentric CD (UCD, n = 118, 62.4%) and 71 patients with multicentric CD (MCD, n = 71, 37.6%). A total of 44.1% (n = 52) of UCDs in our cohort were complicated with paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP). The treatment of UCD is primarily surgical, with a 5-year overall survival (OS) of 88.1%. Patients with PNP had a poorer prognosis than those without PNP (82.9% (95% CI 123-178) vs 92.8% (95% CI 168-196), log-rank p = 0.041). The rate of concurrent systemic symptoms was 74.6% (n = 53), and renal involvement occurred in 49.3% (n = 35) MCD patients. The MCD treatments were mainly chemotherapy regimens, with a 5-year OS of 77.6% (95% CI, 143-213). Patients with UCD demonstrate a better overall prognosis than patients with MCD. But the prognosis of those complicated with PNP was poor. The differential diagnosis of MCD is extensive. MCD treatment in China is heterogeneous. The inaccessibility of anti-IL-6-targeted drugs in China may contribute to the poor prognosis for patients with MCD.A preprint has previously been published (Guo et al. 34).

Castleman disease of plasma cell type accompanied with bronchiolitis obliterans: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Castleman disease, also known as giant lymph node hyperplasia or angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia, is a highly heterogeneous clinicopathological entity that belongs to the family lymphoproliferative disorders. Castleman disease accompanied by bronchiolitis obliterans is uncommon and often poses a great diagnostic challenge, which is easily confused with respiratory diseases and impeding the correct diagnosis and treatment. The main aim in presenting such rare case studies is to raise awareness and expand the diagnostic horizon of clinicians for appropriate management.

CASE PRESENTATION

Here, we present a 69-year-old Chinese male who was admitted to our hospital due to right chest pain for 6 months, accompanied by cough, expectoration, and fever. Laboratory examinations revealed elevated immunoglobulin G and C-reactive protein, and normal serum levels of tumor markers and interleukin-6. Computed tomography scan detected diffuse bronchial wall thickening and patchy area of air trapping consistent with small airway disease. Pulmonary function test showed mild small airway obstructive ventilation dysfunction and moderate decrease in diffusion capacity. The pathological result of the right axillary lymph node was consistent with the plasma cell type Castleman disease. According to the above examinations, the patient was finally diagnosed with the plasma cell type Castleman disease accompanied with bronchiolitis obliterans. He received immunosuppressive medication after surgery and has been followed up for 11 months. Now the patient is currently in stable condition without recurrence.

CONCLUSION

Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder with a variety of symptoms. At present, the treatment of Castleman disease accompanied with bronchiolitis obliterans is mostly based on experiences or previous case reports, and there is no standard treatment. Here, we report an uncommon case of Castleman disease accompanied with bronchiolitis obliterans in which the patient received immunosuppressive medication after surgery and has been followed up for 11 months without experiencing a recurrence, which may deepen and extend our understanding of this disease.

Paraneoplastic pemphigus uncovers distinct clinical and biological phenotypes of western unicentric Castleman disease

Unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) is a lymphoproliferative disease of unknown cause. Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a major complication shown to be associated with a poor prognosis, with particular severity in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). This study describes the clinical and biological characteristics of UCD-PNP patients in a large Western cohort. A total of 148 patients diagnosed with UCD were identified, including 14 patients with a defined PNP. PNP was significantly associated with myasthenia gravis (MG) and FDC sarcoma during follow-up (FDCS). PNP was also significantly associated with reduced survival. These data, together with a multivariate analysis by principal components, led to the identification of UCD-PNP as a group at risk of MG, FDCS and death. PDGFRB sequencing performed on UCD lesions from six patients found the gain-of-function p.N666S variant in two. Interestingly, both patients had hyaline-vascular UCD subtype, were in the UCD-PNP subgroup and had FDCS. Sera from 25 UCD-PNP patients and 6 PNP patients without UCD were tested for PNP-associated autoantibodies. Sera from UCD-PNP patients had a strong reactivity against the N-terminal domain of recombinant periplakin (rPPL, 82%) and showed reactivity against at least two domains of rPPL. These features were not found in patients with UCD alone or in the PNP group without UCD. These data indicate that UCD-PNP patients belong to a subgroup sharing strong clinical and biological identity that might help to decipher the different dynamics of UCD natural history.

A national, multicenter, retrospective study of Castleman disease in China implementing CDCN criteria

BACKGROUND

Castleman disease (CD) is a group of rare and heterogenous lymphoproliferative disorders including unicentric CD (UCD), human herpesvirus-8(HHV-8)-associated multicentric CD (HHV8-MCD), and HHV-8-negative/idiopathic multicentric CD (iMCD). Knowledge of CD mainly comes from case series or retrospective studies, but the inclusion criteria of these studies vary because the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) diagnostic criteria for iMCD and UCD were not available until 2017 and 2020, respectively. Further, these criteria and guidelines have not been systematically evaluated.

METHODS

In this national, multicenter, retrospective study implementing CDCN criteria, we enrolled 1634 CD patients (UCD, n = 903; MCD, n = 731) from 2000 to 2021 at 40 Chinese institutions to depict clinical features, treatment options, and prognostic factors of CD.

FINDINGS

Among UCD, there were 162 (17.9%) patients with an MCD-like inflammatory state. Among MCD, there were 12 HHV8-MCD patients and 719 HHV-8-negative MCD patients, which included 139 asymptomatic MCD (aMCD) and 580 iMCD meeting clinical criteria. Of 580 iMCD patients, 41 (7.1%) met iMCD-TAFRO criteria, the others were iMCD-NOS. iMCD-NOS were further divided into iMCD-IPL (n = 97) and iMCD-NOS without IPL (n = 442). Among iMCD patients with first-line treatment data, a trend from pulse combination chemotherapy toward continuous treatment was observed. Survival analysis revealed significant differences between subtypes and severe iMCD (HR = 3.747; 95% CI: 2.112-6.649, p < 0.001) had worse outcome.

INTERPRETATION

This study depicts a broad picture of CD, treatment options and survival information in China and validates the association between the CDCN's definition of severe iMCD and worse outcomes, requiring more intensive treatment.

FUNDINGS

Beijing Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, CAMS Innovation Fund and National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding.

Paraneoplastic pemphigus and Castleman's disease: a case report and a revision of the literature

BACKGROUND

In literature, a few reports described an association between paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) and Castelman's disease (CD), but no consensus have been proposed for the diagnostic-therapeutical approach. Aim of this study is to present a case report and explore the relationship between PNP and CD in pediatric patients, focusing on clinical manifestations, histopathological findings, treatment and outcome to find elements for an early diagnosis.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present the clinical case of a 13 years old girl with a challenging diagnosis of PNP and CD who underwent therapy at first with Rituximab and then with Siltuximab, for the control of symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Reviewing literature, 20 clinical cases have been described in the pediatric age. Diagnosis may be challenging, requiring an average of 3 months (range from 3 weeks to 2 years). In all cases, the initial manifestations were mucocutaneous lesions, especially oral lesions with poor response to conventional treatment. Systemic symptoms may be present as well. Therapeutical approach is still discussed with no consensus. Almost all patients received corticosteroids with poor response. Other drugs including azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclosporine and monoclonal antibodies have been evaluated for the control of the disease. Further studies and experimental trials urge to define the diagnostic criteria and therapy protocol.

Paraneoplastic pemphigus associated with Castleman disease: A multicenter case series

INTRODUCTION

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a rare, often fatal, autoimmune blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes. In children, PNP is frequently associated with Castleman disease (CD). This series describes five cases of PNP associated with CD.

METHODS

Data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of patients with a diagnosis of PNP and CD from January 2013 to June 2022. Patients ≤22 years old with clinical and immunopathologic evidence of PNP were included; CD was diagnosed histopathologically.

RESULTS

Two children, two adolescents, and one young adult (two males, three females) were included. The average age at disease presentation was 11.8 years (range: 7-22 years). Oral (n = 5) and anogenital (n = 3) mucositis were common. Four patients had "unicentric" CD (UCD); one patient had "multicentric" CD (MCD). Castleman tumors were in the retroperitoneum (n = 4) or axilla (n = 1). One patient had myasthenia gravis without thymoma. Three patients had bronchiolitis obliterans (BO). Three patients had complete resection of their CD; two had partial resection. Three patients remain alive with a median follow-up of 13 months (range: 12 months to 13 years); two are clinically stable with resolution of mucocutaneous lesions; one has persistent BO requiring ongoing ventilatory support. Patients who remain alive had UCD with complete resection; all deceased patients had partial resection and BO.

CONCLUSION

Most patients had UCD, and the retroperitoneum was the most common location. Patients with MCD, incomplete resection, and BO died; patients with UCD and complete resection remain alive, even in the setting of BO. Consideration of PNP is critical when pediatric patients present with mucositis as PNP may be clinically indistinguishable from more common causes of mucositis.

Analysis of albumin as a prognostic factor in HHV-8/HIV-negative Castleman disease from a multicenter study

As a rare lymphoproliferative disorder, many patients with HHV-8/HIV-negative Castleman disease (CD) have hypoalbuminemia. However, data is limited on whether hypoalbuminemia is an independent predictor of CD. We retrospectively collected data from 230 patients diagnosed at 12 medical centers in China and the U.S. Different classifications included 147 patients with unicentric CD (UCD) and 83 with idiopathic multicentric CD (iMCD). Adjusted smooth curve fitting showed that the relationship between albumin and all-cause death of patients with CD and iMCD was linear. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling showed a negative association between the risk of death and albumin level (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76, 0.93). Using the Kaplan-Meier method, we determined that hypoproteinemia was a risk factor for poorer prognosis in patients with CD, UCD, and iMCD. Albumin was independently and negatively associated with the risk of death in CD patients, especially those with iMCD.

[Factors associated with long-term survival in critically ill patients following surgery for solid tumors complicated with paraneoplastic pemphigus]

OBJECTIVE

Critically ill patients with solid tumors complicated with paraneoplastic pemphigus are usually treated in intensive care units (ICU) for perioperative management after surgical treatment. In this study, the clinical characteristics and predictors of long-term prognosis of these critically ill patients were analyzed.

METHODS

the clinical and laboratory data of 63 patients with solid tumors complicated with paraneoplastic pemphigus admitted to ICU from 2005 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and the survival status of the patients were followed up.

RESULTS

Among the 63 patients, 79.4% had Castleman disease as the primary tumor, and 20.6% with other pathological types; 69.8% had severe-extensive skin lesions, and 30.2% had other skin lesions; the patients with bronchiolitis obliterans accounted for 44.4%, and 55.6% were not merged. Postoperative fungal infection occurred in 23.8% of the patients, and 76.2% without fungal infection. The median follow-up time was 95 months, and 25 patients died during the study period. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 74.6% (95%CI 63.8%-85.4%), 67.4% (95%CI 55.6%-79.2%) and 55.1% (95%CI 47.9%-62.3%), respectively. The log-rank univariate analysis showed that the patients had age>40 years (P=0.042), preoperative weight loss>5 kg (P=0.002), preoperative albumin < 30 g/L (P < 0.001), paraneoplastic pemphigus complicated with bronchiolitis obliterans (P=0.002), and perioperative fungal infection (P < 0.001) had increased mortality. Cox univariate analysis showed that preoperative weight loss >5 kg (P=0.005), preoperative albumin < 30 g/L (P < 0.001), paraneoplastic pemphigus complicated with bronchiolitis obliterans (P=0.009), preoperative bacterial pulmonary infection (P=0.007), prolonged surgical time (P=0.048), postoperative oxygenation index (P=0.012) and low albumin (P=0.010) and hemoglobin concentration (P=0.035) in ICU, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE Ⅱ) score (P=0.001); sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score (P=0.010), and postoperative fungal infection (P < 0.001) were risk factors for long-term survival. Cox regression model for multivariate analysis showed that preoperative weight loss > 5 kg (HR 4.44; 95%CI 1.47-13.38; P=0.008), and preoperative albumin < 30 g/L (HR 4.38; 95%CI 1.72-11.12; P=0.002), bronchiolitis obliterans (HR 2.69; 95%CI 1.12-6.50; P=0.027), and postoperative fungal infection (HR 4.85; 95%CI 2.01-11.72; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for postoperative mortality.

CONCLUSION

The 5-year survival rate of critically ill patients undergoing surgery for paraneoplastic pemphigus combined with solid tumors is approximately 55.1%, with preoperative weight loss > 5 kg, albumin < 30 g/L, bronchiolitis obliterans and postoperative fungal infection were associated with an increased risk of near- and long-term postoperative mortality.

Long-term treatment outcome of Castleman’s disease: A real-world experience

Background

Castleman disease (CD), classified as unicentric CD (UCD) or multicentric CD (MCD), is a rare non-neoplastic lymphoproliferative disorder of unknown origin. Owing to its rarity, the clinical characteristics, therapeutic modalities, treatment outcomes, and prognostic factors related to UCD or MCD are not well defined.

Method

We retrospectively analyzed 88 patients with CD, including those with hyaline-vascular, plasma-cell, mixed type, hypervascular, and plasmablastic subtypes, for presenting symptoms, physical, laboratory, and radiologic findings, and treatment response in the Korean population.

Results

The median patient age was 44 years (range: 18–84 years) with slight predominance of women (53.4%). UCD and MCD accounted for 38.6% (n=34) and 61.4% (n=54) of cases, respectively. Histopathologically, UCD patients were classified as 88.2% (n=30) hyaline-vascular and 11.8% (n=4) plasma cell types, whereas MCD patients were classified as 27.8% (n=15) hypervascular, 61.1% (n=33) plasma cell, 7.4% (n=4) mixed, and 3.7% (n=2) plasmablastic types. Twelve (13.6%) patients exhibited a poor performance status with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score of 2. The most common presenting symptom was sustained fever, followed by fatigue, anorexia, peripheral edema, and weight loss. Furthermore, splenomegaly, pleural effusion, and ascites were observed to be associated with CD. Surgical resection and siltuximab were the preferred treatment modalities for UCD and MCD, respectively, with favorable symptomatic, laboratory, and radiologic outcomes and safety profiles. The overall survival was 90.2%, with no significant difference between the UCD and MCD groups (p=0.073), but progression-free survival was significantly poorer in the MCD group (p=0.001). Age ≥60 years and splenomegaly significantly affected the overall and progression-free survival rates.

Conclusion

Patients with UCD had favorable outcomes with surgical resection of a solitary mass, whereas in patients with MCD, old age and splenomegaly were identified as independent prognostic factors. Further well-designed prospective studies under advancing knowledge of the pathophysiology of MCD are warranted to establish suitable guidelines for the discontinuation or prolonging infusion intervals of siltuximab and treatment modalities for HHV-8 positive MCD patients or patients with siltuximab failure.

Clinical and Molecular Characteristics of 60 Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Negative Castleman Disease

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is a key regulator of various cellular functions, which may be related with the potential mechanisms of CD occurrence. We retrospectively collected the clinical information of 60 CD patients diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. And FFPE biopsy specimens were collected from 31 patients (12 unicentric CD patients and 19 multicentric CD patients) to detect the mTOR pathway protein expression. We are the first to demonstrate that thrombocytopenia and hypoalbuminemia are independent poor prognostic factors for CD. Moreover, mTOR activation was higher in CD compared to reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (used as a control group). This study offers some elucidation for the management and treatment of CD patients.

Comprehensive analysis of 65 patients with Castleman disease in a single center in China

This study aimed to investigate the epidemiologic, clinical, pathological characteristics, and treatment of patients with Castleman disease (CD) in a single center in China. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 65 Chinese CD patients, divided into unicentric CD (UCD) and multicentric CD (MCD) groups, and also microscopic subtypes as hypervascular (HV), plasmacytic (PC) and Mixed. Based on whether HHV-8 infection existed, MCD was subdivided into HHV-8-associated MCD and idiopathic Castleman disease (iMCD). Detailed epidemiologic, clinicopathological, and treatment data were analyzed and discussed. Of total 65 patients (UCD 33, MCD 32), HV (81.8%) accounted for the most of UCD and total. More females in UCD (60.6%) and more males in MCD (65.6%) were observed. CD occurred in all age groups, most commonly in 40-49 years. The mean age of onset of total was 38.5 years with PC higher than HV (45.5 vs. 35.1 years, P = 0.0413). The median diagnosis delay of MCD was longer than that of UCD (3.00 vs. 1.25 months, P = 0.0436). Abdomen (39.4%) and neck (30.3%) were the most-seen locations of lymphadenopathy in UCD, with neck (65.6%) being predominant in MCD. Mean major diameter of specimens of UCD was greater than MCD (6.4 vs. 3.1 cm, P < 0.0001). These results provided the featured and detailed profile of Castleman disease in Henan province in China with a considerable number of cases, which presented distinct evidence with other studies.

The disease course of Castleman disease patients with fatal outcomes in the ACCELERATE registry

Castleman disease (CD) describes a group of rare, potentially fatal lymphoproliferative disorders. To determine factors associated with mortality in CD, we analysed data from deceased patients in the ACCELERATE registry and compared them with matched controls. We analysed demographic, treatment and laboratory data from all deceased CD patients, matched controls and a subgroup of idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) patients. Of the 140 patients in ACCELERATE with a confirmed CD diagnosis, 10 had died. There were 72 patients with confirmed iMCD; six were deceased. The deceased CD cohort had more hospitalisations per year, higher overall hospitalisations and more days hospitalised per month, and received more treatment regimens per year than the matched‐control group. Analysis of laboratory values showed a significantly decreased absolute lymphocyte count at months 3 and 6 in the deceased cohort compared with controls. Among iMCD patients, there was a higher proportion of iMCD‐TAFRO (thrombocytopenia, anasarca, fever, reticulin myelofibrosis, renal dysfunction and organomegaly) cases in the deceased group. The deceased iMCD group had significantly lower immunoglobulin M, international normalised ratio and platelet count. These data demonstrate that there may be differences between patients who have fatal and non‐fatal outcomes, and provide preliminary suggestions for parameters to evaluate further.

Treatment and Outcome of Castleman Disease: A Retrospective Report of 31 Patients

Background

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare and heterogeneous lymphoproliferative disorder with a spectrum of characteristic pathological abnormalities of lymph node. Furthermore, its clinical diagnosis is very challenging until pathological results are available. This study aimed to investigate the clinical presentations, treatment and prognosis of CD, thereby improving the understanding and diagnosis of CD.

Methods

This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 31 patients with CD admitted to the First Hospital Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University January 2013 to December 2020. The chi-square test and the Mann–Whitney rank sum test were employed to calculate between-group differences for categorical and quantitative data, respectively.

Results

Clinically, patients with unicentric CD (UCD) usually present with lymphadenopathy. However, the clinical presentation of patients with multicentric CD (MCD) ranged from mild lymphadenopathy with B-symptoms (5/8, 62.5%) to intense inflammation, vascular leak syndrome (3/8, 37.5%), hepatosplenomegaly (3/8, 37.5%), organ insufficiency (3/8, 37.5%), and even death (2/8, 25.0%). Compared with UCD patients, patients with MCD had significantly lower levels of hemoglobin (104 (90,129) vs 137 (120,149), p=0.018) and plasma albumin (31.5 (27.0,37.0) vs 45.0 (40.0,46.5), p=0.001), but IgG levels were significantly increased. Patients with UCD were mainly treated with surgical resection alone, with a five-year survival rate of 95.65%. When siltuximab is not an option, steroid plus rituximab-based chemotherapy and specific supportive care are common options for MCD. Except for 2 deaths, the remaining MCD patients have stable disease or partial remission.

Conclusion

CD describes a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by morphologically benign lymphoid hyperplasia. Notably, patients with MCD present varying degrees of inflammation responses, even involving multiple systems. Surgery is a direct and effective way to diagnose and treat UCD. In the absence of IL-6 antagonists, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive therapeutic strategies, and cytotoxic clearance of cells responsible for hypercytokinemia could be adopted.

Clinical and pathological features of bronchiolitis obliterans requiring lung transplantation in paraneoplastic pemphigus associated with Castleman disease

Summary at a glance

Bronchiolitis obliterans in paraneoplastic pemphigus associated with Castleman disease possesses the progressive nature even when it is treated with intensive medical therapy. Antibodies were at least in low titers before the Lung transplant and remain negative after the procedure. Explanted lungs showed coexistence of cellular destructive bronchiolitis and constrictive bronchiolitis.

Background

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) in paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) associated with Castleman disease (CD) possesses the progressive nature of pulmonary disease even when it is treated with intensive medical therapy. Lung transplantation (LT) offers an acceptable form of treatment.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study of two cases of BO in PNP associated with CD who underwent LT between March 2017 and March 2020 at the China‐Japan Friendship Hospital. We also included one case from the literature.

Results

In this patient series, PNP was the primary clinical presentation in all patients, and it was accompanied by respiratory symptoms before/after CD excision. In spite of being treated with various combinations of immunosuppressive and anti‐inflammatory agents, the patients had great or total improvement in mucosal erosions, whereas their pulmonary function test (PFT) deteriorated gradually or sharply. The duration times from disease onset to timing of LT were 1, 2 and 5 years. All antibodies were negative or were present at low titers before the LT procedure and remain negative after the procedure. The histopathological features of explanted lungs showed cellular and coexistent destructive bronchiolitis and constrictive bronchiolitis in two cases. Granulation with numerous foamy macrophages, scattered giant cells and cholesterol clefts were especially prominent in case one.

Conclusion

BO in PNP associated with CD had poor clinical outcomes. LT was preferable choice in end‐stage BO when PNP and CD were controlled.

Bilateral lung transplantation for Castleman disease with end-stage bronchiolitis obliterans

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a severe complication of Castleman disease (CD), a rare lymphoproliferative disease with unclear pathogenesis. Currently, there are no reports on the safety or outcomes of bilateral lung transplantation in patients with BO due to CD. This study aimed to characterize the clinical manifestations and features of BO and CD. We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of six consecutive patients with BO and CD who underwent bilateral lung transplantation between December 2012 and December 2020. The average age of patients at lung transplantation was 33 ± 15 years, and the age range of patients at diagnosis of CD was about 9-56 years. The body mass index was 15.2 ± 1.9 kg/m² . The average time from diagnosis to lung transplantation was 4.1 ± 2.7 years. All the patients had unicentric CD (UCD); five had concomitant paraneoplastic pemphigus, and four received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during surgery. The average hospital stay was 51 ± 53 days. Infection was the most common postoperative complication. CD did not recur in any of the patients. Thus, bilateral lung transplantation is a viable and safe treatment for selected patients with CD and BO, which can improve the quality of life and prolong survival.

Dermatologic Manifestations of Endocrine Disorders

Endocrine disorders are known to involve all organ systems of the body, including the skin. The cutaneous manifestations of endocrine disorders can range from common findings such as acanthosis nigricans, pretibial myxedema, acne, hirsutism, hyper or hypopigmentation to rare cutaneous findings such as miliaria rubra, calciphylaxis, lentigines, and calcinosis cutis. These cutaneous symptoms can sometimes be the presenting symptoms or can even be pathognomonic of the underlying endocrine condition. In some cases, the cutaneous symptoms from an underlying endocrine abnormality may be the most prominent. These symptoms can significantly affect the quality of life of individuals. Often, individuals may seek health care from a dermatologist or primary care physician for isolated skin symptoms. Therefore, it is imperative for physicians to recognize the skin symptoms as the manifestation of the endocrine disorder for prompt diagnosis and treatment of the underlying endocrine disorder.

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.

International evidence-based consensus diagnostic and treatment guidelines for unicentric Castleman disease

Castleman disease (CD) includes a group of rare and heterogeneous disorders with characteristic lymph node histopathological abnormalities. CD can occur in a single lymph node station, which is referred to as unicentric CD (UCD). CD can also involve multicentric lymphadenopathy and inflammatory symptoms (multicentric CD [MCD]). MCD includes human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8)-associated MCD, POEMS-associated MCD, and HHV-8-/idiopathic MCD (iMCD). The first-ever diagnostic and treatment guidelines were recently developed for iMCD by an international expert consortium convened by the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN). The focus of this report is to establish similar guidelines for the management of UCD. To this purpose, an international working group of 42 experts from 10 countries was convened to establish consensus recommendations based on review of treatment in published cases of UCD, the CDCN ACCELERATE registry, and expert opinion. Complete surgical resection is often curative and is therefore the preferred first-line therapy, if possible. The management of unresectable UCD is more challenging. Existing evidence supports that asymptomatic unresectable UCD may be observed. The anti-interleukin-6 monoclonal antibody siltuximab should be considered for unresectable UCD patients with an inflammatory syndrome. Unresectable UCD that is symptomatic as a result of compression of vital neighboring structures may be rendered amenable to resection by medical therapy (eg, rituximab, steroids), radiotherapy, or embolization. Further research is needed in UCD patients with persisting constitutional symptoms despite complete excision and normal laboratory markers. We hope that these guidelines will improve outcomes in UCD and help treating physicians decide the best therapeutic approach for their patients.

Paraneoplastic autoimmune multiorgan syndrome

Originally described by Anhalt as paraneoplastic pemphigus in 1990, paraneoplastic autoimmune multiorgan syndrome (PAMS) is a potentially lethal blistering disease, characterized by polymorphous clinical features, including mucocutaneous erosions, blisters, lichenoid papules, and erythemas. Several autoantibodies have been detected in serum of PAMS patients, including antiplakins, anti-alpha-2-macroglobulin like 1, and antidesmogleins autoantibodies. The mortality rate of PAMS is up to 90%. This is due on the one hand to the poor response to treatments and on the other hand to the delay in the diagnosis and to the prognosis of the underlying neoplasia.

Unicentric Castleman's Disease with an Unusual Clinical Behavior

Castleman’s disease is a rare clinicopathological condition characterized by hyperplasia of lymph nodes. We report the case of a 12-year-old boy who presented with painful oral and genital ulcers, who was assumed to have Behçet’s disease. However, the patient did not show any clinical improvement on colchicine and systemic corticosteroids. Later, the patient developed severe abdominal pain and vomiting. Abdominal CT revealed a mass lesion superior to the right kidney. After a thorough investigation, he was diagnosed with unicentric Castleman’s disease. Despite the complete resection of the mass, the patient continued to have the symptoms of abdominal pain and orogenital ulcers. Immunomodulatory therapy resulted in remarkable clinical improvement. This case report demonstrates how unicentric Castleman’s disease can share similar clinical behavior to the multicentric disease.

Thalidomide as a potential adjuvant treatment for paraneoplastic pemphigus: A single-center experience

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a rare autoimmune bullous disease associated with an underlying malignancy. The survival rate at 5 years is reported to be as low as 38%. Thalidomide is a medication with strong anti‐inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiangiogenic, and sedative properties. Recently, the successful application of thalidomide in several dermatological and hematological disorders inspired us to investigate its potential as an adjuvant treatment for PNP. Here, we report our experience of trial thalidomide therapy in 14 PNP patients. After treatment of their associated tumors, the patients were administered thalidomide (75‐100 mg/d) combined with or without low‐ to mid‐dose oral prednisone. Twelve patients completed the therapy. Seven patients (58%) achieved complete remission with no relapse, including two patients who received thalidomide monotherapy. Five patients (42%) died within 1 to 3 months. The 1‐year and 2‐year survival rates in our case series were 58% and 55%, respectively. The regimen was well tolerated. Although the treatment experience presented has a limited sample size and no control, our results imply that thalidomide may be an effective, safe, and economical treatment option for PNP patients. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of action of thalidomide in PNP.

[Analysis of the clinicopathologic features as well as diagnosis and treatment of 59 patients with Castleman disease]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathologic features, treatment, and prognosis in patients with Castleman disease (CD) . Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic data of 59 patients for whom a diagnosis of Castleman disease was confirmed using pathological examination from October 2011 to October 2019 at the Henan Cancer Hospital. The patients were divided into the following two groups as per the following clinical classifications: unicentric CD (UCD, n=47) and multicentric CD (MCD, n=12) . Data on clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, treatment, and prognosis were analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in the median age and the ratio of male to female between the UCD and MCD. UCD was characterized by asymptomatic enlargement of the single lymph node. The main pathological type was hyaline vascular histopathology (83.0%) . Of these, 44 patients chose surgical resection, and their prognosis was good. Treatment. MCD was characterized by multiple enlarged superficial and/or deep lymph nodes with B symptoms, weakness, and hepatosplenomegaly. Anemia, hypoproteinemia, and globulin level were increased on laboratory examinations. Plasmacyte histopathology was the main pathological type and was present in about 50.0% of the subjects. Only chemotherapy was performed for these MCD patients, followed by chemotherapy or chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy, and the efficient was 58.3% (7/12) . Conclusions: UCD, characterized by asymptomatic enlargement of the single lymph node, shows good postoperative prognosis. MCD has relatively complex clinical manifestations and poor prognosis, and optimal treatment is yet to be established.

Predominant Stroma-Rich Feature in Hyaline Vascular Variant of Castleman Disease Is Associated With Paraneoplastic Pemphigus

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to describe the clinical and histopathologic features of Castleman disease (CD), particularly emphasizing its associations with paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) and prognosis.

METHODS

We retrospectively enrolled 123 CD patients at our center. Clinical, pathologic, and laboratory data were reviewed.

RESULTS

Fifty percent of the patients had PNP. Compared with those without PNP, patients with PNP-associated CD had more hyaline vascular (HV) variants (83.9% vs 57.4%), fewer mixed cellular variants (16.1% vs 24.6%), and no plasmacytic variants (0% vs 18.0%). Thirty-eight of 87 patients with the HV variant of CD (HV-CD) had stroma-rich (SR) features, and the incidence rate was higher in those with PNP-associated CD than in those without PNP (48.4% vs 13.1%, P < .001). The SR variant was associated with higher PNP-associated IgG titers than SR absence before surgery (median 1:160 vs 1:80, P = .019) or after surgery (median 1:160 vs 1:40, P = .013). The SR variant was also an unfavorable prognostic factor for CD survival in univariate analysis. The 3-year survival rates were 47.5% among those with PNP and 87.7% among those without PNP (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

PNP is associated with specific subtypes of CD and affects survival. The SR variant of HV-CD positively correlates with the incidence of PNP.

Retrospective analysis of 45 cases of localized retroperitoneal Castleman disease from a single center

Background

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disease characterized by high heterogeneity in clinical manifestation and prognosis. This study aimed to summarize clinical features of localized retroperitoneal CD and our experiences to improve the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Methods

Clinical data of 45 patients with localized retroperitoneal CD were retrospectively analyzed. The differences in clinical features between groups with and without paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) were compared. Survival was analyzed between groups depending on whether complicating with PNP, bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), gender, age and uni-centric CD (UCD)/multi-centric CD (MCD), respectively.

Results

Significant differences were observed between patient groups in the prevalence of retroperitoneal CD with PNP complicated with BO (P=0.010), the constituent ratios of initial symptoms (P<0.001) and the duration from appearance of the initial symptoms to being diagnosed (P=0.009). Among 45 cases, 43 tumors had clear margins and intact envelops and were completely resected, 40 patients were cured or significantly relieved, 3 patients were not significantly relieved, 2 patients received palliative surgical therapy and eventually relapsed and died after surgery. There were significant differences in the survival rate between groups depending on complication with BO, gender and age (≤40 and >40 years) (all P<0.05).

Conclusions

Prompt and complete removal of the retroperitoneal CD tumor is critical to the management of this disease, as palliative resection tends to cause relapse and lead to a poor prognosis. Retroperitoneal CD patients with PNP may develop complications from BO leading to death. Complication with PNP, complication with BO, male gender and age ≥40 years were identified as prognostic risk factors for patients with localized retroperitoneal CD.

Histologic and Laboratory Characteristics of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Castleman Disease in the Pediatric Population

OBJECTIVES

Compare the morphologic, laboratory, and clinical features of asymptomatic and symptomatic Castleman disease in the pediatric population.

METHODS

We reviewed clinical records and histopathology of patients with Castleman disease from 2 pediatric institutions.

RESULTS

Of 39 patients with pediatric Castleman disease, 37 had unicentric disease, all classified with the hyaline vascular variant of Castleman disease, 8 of which were clinically symptomatic. These 8 patients demonstrated abnormal laboratory findings, including microcytic anemia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein, and hypoalbuminemia. In addition, histopathologic evaluation showed that the 8 symptomatic cases had more hyperplastic germinal centers, fewer atrophic or regressed germinal centers, fewer mantle zones containing multiple germinal centers, reduced "onion skinning" of mantle zones, and fewer "lollipop" formations compared with the asymptomatic cases.

CONCLUSIONS

This series of pediatric Castleman disease showed that lymph nodes from asymptomatic patients generally demonstrated the more classic hyaline vascular histology, whereas those with symptoms could lack or have only focal classic findings. As such, reactive lymph nodes with subtle Castleman-like features should prompt clinical correlation to ensure proper diagnosis.

[Clinical analysis of 30 cases of Castleman disease with different types of thoracic involvement]

Objective: To improve the clinical understanding of Castleman disease (CD) with different types of thoracic involvement, including their clinical features, radiological and pathological findings, diagnosis and current treatment strategies. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 30 patients diagnosed with CD with thoracic involvement and hospitalized between June 2009 and May 2019 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University was performed. Patients were divided into three groups for subsequent analysis based on the clinical data: CD with bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) , unicentric Castleman disease (UCD) without BO, and multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) without BO. Results: Among the 30 patients, there were 5 (16.7%) patients diagnosed with BO, 18 (60.0%) patients had UCD without BO and 7 (23.3%) patients had MCD without BO. The average age of MCD without BO patients was significantly older than that of BO and UCD without BO patients[ (49.29±5.39) ys vs (27.20±3.76) ys and (37.17±2.87) ys; P=0.005 and 0.034, respectively) ]. Pulmonary symptoms were commonly seen in BO group (100%) and MCD without BO group (71.4%) . while no pulmonary symptoms were seen in UCD without BO group. Key abnormal laboratory findings were erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) increase (40%in BO group and 57.1% in MCD without BO group) and hypoxia (60% in BO group and 28.6% in MCD without BO group) . Other abnormal laboratory findings seen in MCD without BO group included anemia and IgG increase (both 57.1%) . Notably, all patients in BO group had extremely severe mixed ventilation dysfunction in the lung function test. CT scan showed lung parenchyma involvement in BO group (100%) , in UCD without BO group (11.1%) featured by solitary pulmonary nodule and in MCD without BO group (57.1%) featured by diffuse lesions in bilateral lungs. The size of lymph nodes was significantly smaller in MCD without BO group comparing to that in BO group and UCD without BO group[short diameter (1.83±0.51) cm vs (4.73±1.63) cm and (3.62±0.26) cm; P=0.006 and 0.011, respectively]. All patients (100%) in the BO group had a pathological type of transparent vascular variant while the same pathological type accounts for 88.9% in UCD without BO patients. The predominantly pathological type (57.1%) was plasma cell variant in the MCD without BO group. Oral ulcers presented in all patients in BO group but were relieved after the mass resection and immunomodulatory therapy, but the pulmonary symptoms were still progressively aggravated. Thoracoscopic mass excision was the main treatment for UCD without BO patients while chemotherapy, immunomodulatory and targeted therapy were commonly used for MCD without BO treatment. Conclusion: The age, clinical symptom, laboratory finding, lung function, imaging manifestation, pathology, treatment and prognosis were different among the three groups. This classification could improve clinical understanding of the disease.

Clinical features and treatment of 7 Chinese TAFRO syndromes from 96 de novo Castleman diseases: a 10-year retrospective study

Background

Castleman disease (CD) is a rare polyclonal lymphoproliferative disorder with unknown etiology. TAFRO syndrome is now regarded as a specific subtype of CD, and is still a huge challenge for clinicians.

Methods

To clarify the clinical features and management of TAFRO syndrome in China, we retrospectively analyzed 96 patients with HIV-negative CD (52 with unicentric CD and 44 with multicentric CD), who were diagnosed and treated at our center between 2008 and 2017. Specially, we systematically reviewed the 7 TAFRO syndrome cases based on the 2015 criteria proposed by Masaki.

Results

Among the 7 cases, there were 3 men and 4 women, and the median age was 53 years. The main symptoms included thrombocytopenia (7/7), anasarca (7/7), fever (4/7), renal dysfunction (7/7), and organomegaly (6/7). One patient was treated with corticosteroid monotherapy, one received RD (Rituximab, dexamethasone), and 5 received CHOP/COP like chemotherapy as first-line treatment, 2 of the 5 combined with Rituximab. Four patients needed hemodialysis or CRRT because of progressive renal failure. The outcome for TAFRO syndrome was significantly worse compared to other types of CD. Although 3 patients improved after early treatment, 4 patients died due to disease progression, and only one patient achieved complete resolution of all the symptoms after changing to lenalidomide based regimen.

Conclusions

This study reveals that TAFRO syndrome is more severe and has more systemic symptoms than other iMCD, most cases need active treatment, and their prognoses are poor. Lenalidomide based regimen may be as a promising new therapy for TAFRO syndrome.

Retroperitoneal Castleman Disease Invading Iliac Vein and Inferior Vena Cava Treated by Tumorectomy with Vascular Repair: A Case Report

Unicentric Castleman disease, a rare lymphoproliferative disorder, is always known as a solitary, well-defined lymph node enlargement. We reported an extraordinary case of retroperitoneal Castleman disease, which invades wall of right iliac vein and inferior vena cava, treated successfully by tumorectomy with vascular repair.

Paraneoplastic Pemphigus with Underlying Castleman's Disorder: A Rare Report with Literature Review

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP), also known as paraneoplastic autoimmune multisystem syndrome (PAMS), is an autoimmune blistering disorder of the skin associated with various hematological and nonhematological malignancies. In most of the cases, it can be a harbinger of a concealed benign or malignant neoplasm. We report the case of a 23-year-old female patient who presented to the dermatology consult service with a previously known diagnosis of refractory pemphigus vulgaris but she failed to reach remission for her oral and skin lesions on steroid and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). She was later investigated for underlying malignancy as the concern of PNP was raised. She was found to be diagnosed with a pelvic mass which was found to be Castleman's disease. Our patient responded well to surgery and postoperative course of pulsed methylprednisolone and IVIG. Here, we discuss the diagnosis and clinical course of this unique case and strive to create awareness about PNP that can present as a refractory polymorphous blistering dermatological disorder and can hinder the diagnosis and management of patients.

Castleman Disease Presenting as a Parapharyngeal Mass: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Objectives:

Masses in the parapharyngeal space often pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to an inaccessible location for biopsy and proximity to critical neurovascular structures of the neck. The aims of this study are to describe a rare case of Castleman disease (CD) presenting in the parapharyngeal space.

Methods:

Case report of a 38-year-old male presenting to a tertiary care center and literature review.

Results & conclusions:

The parapharyngeal space is an unusual location for CD. Surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists must be aware of this disease entity within the differential diagnosis to provide appropriate perioperative counseling for patients.

Analysis of clinical characteristics and prognosis factors of 71 cases with HIV-negative Castleman's disease: hypoproteinemia is an unfavorable prognostic factor which should be treated appropriately

PURPOSE

HIV negative Castleman's disease has been reported as a group of poorly understood lymphoproliferative disorder, and we want to explore the clinical feature and prognosis factors of CD.

METHODS

We retrospectively collected the clinical information of 71 CD patients without HIV infection diagnosed in the first affiliated hospital of Zhengzhou university.

RESULTS

Different clinical classifications, including 35 patients (49.30%) with unicentric Castleman disease and 36 (50.7%) with multicentric Castleman disease, has their specific features compared with each other and unfavorable risk factors calculated by the univariate analysis. As for all of CD patients without HIV infection, there were 7 significant risk factors identified by the results of log-rank test, including clinical complaint, edema (hydrothorax, ascites, pelvic effusion), fatigue, anemia, hypoproteinemia and elevated serum β2-MG. Then, we created a Cox regression model of these clinical and statistic significant factors which indicated hypoproteinemia was an independent poor prognosis factors of CD in both univariate and multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study emphasized the distinction of clinical characteristics between UCD and MCD and the importance of different poor risk factors of different clinical classifications which may directed more precise and appropriate treatment strategy.

Effectiveness of rituximab-containing treatment regimens in idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease

Human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8)-negative, idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disease often involving constitutional symptoms, cytopenias, and multiple organ system dysfunction. In China, the majority of MCD cases are HHV-8 negative. Given that siltuximab, the only FDA-approved treatment for iMCD is not available in China; rituximab- and cyclophosphamide-containing regimens are often used in the treatment of Chinese iMCD patients. To evaluate the efficacy of rituximab in this rare and heterogeneous disease, clinical and pathological data from 27 cases of iMCD were retrospectively analyzed from two large medical centers in China. The novel diagnostic criteria for iMCD were applied, and POEMS syndrome, IgG4-related diseases, and follicular dendritic cell sarcomas cases were excluded from analyses. Total response rate of rituximab- and cyclophosphamide-containing regimens was 55.5%, with 33.3% (9/27) of the cases reaching CR and 22.2% (6/27) PR. In the 14 cases of R-R iMCD, total response rate was only 42.9% (CR 14.3% [2/14], PR 28.6% [4/14]). The 5-year OS of these 27 iMCD cases was 81% (95% CI 64-98; 27 total patients, 4 events, 23 censored) after receiving these regimens, but the 5-year PFS was 43% (95% CI 19-66; 25 total patients, 11 events, 14 censored). Thus, rituximab-based regimens should be considered for the treatment of iMCD patients when siltuximab is not available and potentially in siltuximab-refractory cases.