Castleman's disease and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis: the role of interleukin-6

Case report: Importance of early and continuous tocilizumab therapy in nephrotic syndrome associated with idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease: A case series

Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is a systemic and polyclonal lymphoproliferative disease involving multiple organs, including the kidneys, due to the overproduction of interleukin-6 (IL-6). Recently, several reports have suggested that excessive IL-6 actions in iMCD could have a causal relationship with the development of diverse histopathological renal manifestations that cause nephrotic syndrome. However, the treatment for such cases remains unclear. We report a series of three cases of nephrotic syndrome due to iMCD that helps to delineate the importance of early and continuous therapy with the anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody tocilizumab. First, treatment was suspended for infectious control, and the patient presented with nephrotic syndrome due to diffuse mesangial and endocapillary hypercellularity without immune deposits complicating acute kidney injury. Second, iMCD was treated with prednisolone alone. The patient suddenly developed nephrotic syndrome due to immune-complex glomerulonephritis, not otherwise specified, complicated with acute kidney injury. In the third case, nephrotic syndrome secondary to membranous glomerulonephritis was diagnosed, with a skin rash and IgE antibodies to tocilizumab, and was therefore treated with prednisolone alone. In contrast to the first two cases, the third progressed to end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. Taken together, this series suggests that clinicians should maintain clinical vigilance for iMCD as a possible underlying component of nephrotic syndrome, since iMCD presents with a variety of renal pathologies. Prompt initiation and continuous administration of tocilizumab are likely key determinants of renal outcomes in such cases. In particular, when tocilizumab is suspended due to infection or in the perioperative period, consideration of its expeditious resumption should be made, taking into account both the withdrawal period and systemic conditions.

Successful treatment with tocilizumab for refractory anemia and slowly progressive renal glomerulosclerosis in multicentric Castleman disease: A case report

RATIONALE

Multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder accompanied by systemic symptoms characterized by polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia and chronic inflammation due to overexpression of interleukin-6. Histological heterogeneity of renal involvement in MCD has been described, although the number of reports is limited. Tocilizumab, a humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, has been reported to be effective for MCD.

PATENT CONCERNS

A 64-year-old man experienced refractory anemia and slowly progressive renal dysfunction with proteinuria, accompanied by persistent inflammation for 11 years.

DIAGNOSIS

Two renal biopsies were obtained. The first biopsy performed 7 years before admission revealed non-specific interstitial inflammation, whereas the second biopsy demonstrated global sclerosis in most glomeruli and interstitial fibrosis. The patient had multiple lymphadenopathies. Cervical lymph node biopsy histological findings were compatible with plasma cell type Castleman disease. The patient had no evidence of human hepatitis virus-8 infection.

INTERVENTION

The patient was treated with 60 mg/d prednisolone followed by 8 mg/kg intravenous tocilizumab every 2 weeks.

OUTCOME

His anemia significantly improved, as well as a marked reduction in proteinuria and stabilization of renal function. He did not experience renal function during the 2-years follow-up period.

LESSONS

The heterogeneity of the renal manifestations of MCD sometimes makes early diagnosis difficult. We need to interpret the histological findings of the renal biopsy carefully. For advanced-stage renal diseases, tocilizumab might be an effective treatment strategy for MCD.

Multicentric Castleman disease of hyaline vascular variant presenting with unusual systemic manifestations: a case report

Background

Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder presenting with localized or disseminated lymphadenopathy and systemic manifestations. It can be categorized in numerous ways, such as unicentric versus multicentric, histopathological variants (hyaline-vascular, plasma cell, and mixed), or subtypes based on causative viral infections (human immunodeficiency virus, human herpesvirus-8, or Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus). Presentation ranges from asymptomatic to symptoms involving multiple organs. Even though the exact mechanism of pathogenesis is unknown, treatment is directed toward possible etiologies such as interleukin-6, cluster of differentiation 20, and viral agents.

Case presentation

A 36-year-old Sri Lankan woman presented with generalized body swelling and foamy urine of 2 weeks’ duration. Examination revealed pallor; generalized edema; axillary, cervical, and inguinal lymphadenopathy; hypertension; and hepatomegaly. Investigations showed bicytopenia, nephrotic range proteinuria with hypoalbuminemia, hypogammaglobulinemia, and features of hyaline-vascular type Castleman disease in a lymph node biopsy. She was managed with rituximab and had good clinical improvement.

Conclusions

Castleman disease has a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, disease pathogeneses, and associations and/or complications. Medical professionals need to be familiar with this spectrum because timely diagnosis and aggressive targeted therapy are the cornerstones of managing these patients.

Castelman disease of the parotid gland: An unusual entity

Castleman disease (CD) is a benign lymphoepithelial disorder characterised by abnormal growth of a lymph node. This disease may be seen anywhere along the lymphatic chain but it usually occurs in the mediastinum. Two clinical types (localised and generalised) and three histopathological types (hyaline vascular, plasma cell, and mixed) have been described. We present a case of a 35-year-old female patient with parotid CD of the hyaline-vascular type as an extremely rare entity. We also discuss recent updates on this disease.

Efficacy of tocilizumab, a humanized neutralizing antibody against interleukin-6 receptor, in progressive renal injury associated with Castleman's disease

Castleman's disease is a benign lymphoproliferative disorder in which interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pleiotropic proinflammatory cytokine, is thought to play a pathogenetic role. Presented is the case of a 72-year-old man with Castleman's disease who exhibited progressive renal dysfunction with proteinuria. Renal biopsy revealed mesangial hypercellularity and matrix expansion in most glomeruli and peritubular inflammatory cell infiltration. Immunofluorescence studies showed intense deposition of IgG in a granular pattern along the glomerular basement membrane. Histological features were compatible with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis accompanied by interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration. Immunohistological analysis showed that IL-6 was abundantly expressed by tubular cells and interstitial macrophages, suggesting involvement of IL-6 in the renal injury. As a result of administration of tocilizumab, a humanized anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, the patient experienced clinical and biochemical improvement of Castleman's disease, including marked reduction of proteinuria and stabilization of renal function. These findings suggest the efficacy of tocilizumab against Castleman's disease and its renal complications.

Castleman's disease in childhood: report of three cases and review of the literature

Castleman's disease (CD) is a rare, localized or generalized, lymphoproliferative disorder with a frequent mediastinal location, but possible in any lymph node or extra nodal site. It usually appears in young adults whilst it rarely occurs in childhood. There are only about 100 pediatric cases published, five of them in Italy. We report 3 cases of localized Castleman's disease, investigated in our Department in a 3 years period and reviewed the literature.

Castleman's disease: a study of a rare lymphoproliferative disorder in a university hospital

Castleman's disease (CD) is a group of rare lymphoproliferative disorders sharing characteristic clinical and histological features, and usually accompanied by a marked systemic inflammatory response. Two histological patterns of lymph nodes were described: the hyaline-vascular and plasma-cell types. The former is more common (80-90%) and tends to be localized. The plasma cell type is more aggressive and usually multicentric. It is interesting that the inflammatory manifestations seem to be related to a lymph node lesion, because the systemic symptoms and inflammatory activity can return to normal after surgical excision or successful medical treatment of the disease. We report here our 15-year experience with this rare disease in King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, focusing on the clinical features, therapy, and patients'outcome.

Interleukin-6 receptor inhibition with tocilizumab in various renal involvements associated with multicentric Castleman's disease: a report of three cases

Multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) is an inflammatory lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by polyclonal hypergammopathy and dysregulated overproduction of interleukin-6 (IL-6). A variety of renal involvements infrequently arise in patients with MCD. However, there is no established treatment for MCD and its associated renal involvements. We present the effects of an anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody, tocilizumab, on three patients with MCD associated with various renal manifestations. In all three patients, tocilizumab treatment was very effective in reducing proteinuria and stabilizing renal function, as well as improving other clinical symptoms. These findings indicate the pathological significance of IL-6 in renal involvements associated with MCD, and the potential use of tocilizumab in its treatment.

Marked hepatomegaly due to AA type amyloidosis in a case with Castleman's disease

Hepatic amyloidosis complicated with Castleman's disease is quite rare. A 48-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with general fatigue, low-grade fever, anemia, thrombocythemia, and liver dysfunction. Physical examination revealed anemia and hepatomegaly and abdominal computed tomography showed marked hepatomegaly and right upper abdominal masses. Technetium-99m pyrophosphate (99mTc-PYP) scintigraphy revealed the diffuse abnormal uptake of the enlarged liver, suggesting amyloid deposition. Liver biopsy showed destruction of the liver structure and the massive deposition of AA type amyloid protein. Surgical resection was performed on the abdominal masses. Histological examination of the masses showed Castleman's disease (plasma cell type). After resection, her fever resolved and the liver size gradually decreased to within the normal range. This case shows that surgical resection of the main lesion is effective for hepatomegaly due to AA type amyloidosis associated with Castleman's disease.

Treatment of Castleman's disease

Castleman's disease (CD) was first described in 1954 and further defined in 1956 by Castleman. Since then much has been learned about the heterogeneity of this condition. Subsequently, three pathologic classifications have been developed (hyaline vascular variant, plasma cell variant, and mixed variant) and two clinical classifications (unicentric [unifocal or localized] and multicentric [multifocal or generalized]). The pathology found with the unicentric presentation is most commonly that of the HV variant. It responds well to surgical resection and is associated with a benign course. The multicentric presentation is rarely composed of lymph nodes with HV pathology, but rather with the plasma cell or mixed pathology. This presentation requires systemic therapy and prognosis is guarded. Associated systemic symptoms are common. There is an increased incidence of CD in patients with HIV. The human herpes virus-8 is associated with nearly all of the HIV-associated CD cases and nearly 50% of non-HIV cases. Interleukin (IL)-6 has also been shown to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Paraneoplastic and autoimmune entities are not uncommon in the disorder. Variable benefit has been achieved with single agent chemotherapy, combination chemotherapy, interferon (IFN)-alpha, rituximab, anti-IL-6 receptor antibodies, and thalidomide. Patients with CD are at increased risk for developing frank malignant lymphoma.

Renal involvement in multicentric Castleman disease with glomeruloid hemangioma of skin and plasmacytoma

A 47-year-old man presented with fever of unknown origin, generalized weakness, edema, and renal failure. He had left-sided pleural effusion, generalized lymphadenopathy, multiple nontender cutaneous nodules, hepatomegaly, renal failure, and hypergammaglobulinemia. Axillary lymph node biopsy showed findings consistent with Castleman disease of the hyaline vascular type associated with interfollicular plasmacytosis. A renal biopsy performed in view of proteinuria and acute renal failure showed hypercellular glomeruli with capillary loop thickening and double contours consistent with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Skin nodule biopsy showed a glomeruloid hemangioma characterized by dermal proliferation of capillary loops in a nodular manner resembling a glomerulus. He experienced clinical and biochemical remission with steroids. Discontinuation of steroid therapy was associated with recurrence of renal failure, reappearance of nodules, lymphadenopathy, and appearance of bony lytic lesions. Biopsy of bony lytic lesions showed plasmacytoma. The patient achieved complete remission on treatment with steroids and cyclophosphamide and is free of symptoms at the end of 40 months of follow-up. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of the occurrence of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, glomeruloid hemangioma of the skin, and plasmacytoma in a patient with multicentric Castleman disease without human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Localised plasma-cell type Castleman's disease and AA-amyloidosis cured by resection. A case report and review of the literature

Castleman's disease (CD) is a rare atypical lymphoproliferative disorder with frequent, yet less well known renal involvement. We describe the case of a 58-year-old woman with localised abdominal plasma-cell type CD complicated by nephrotic syndrome due to renal amyloidosis. 18Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) confirmed the unicentric nature. Resection of the mass resulted in regression of the signs of inflammation, a negative FDG-PET and complete remission of the nephrotic syndrome. A review of the literature of renal involvement (incidence, clinical and pathological manifestations, treatment and prognosis) in CD is provided.

Remission of nephrotic syndrome due to AA amyloidosis and initiation of glomerular repair after surgical resection of localized Castleman's disease

To shed further light on the eventual destiny of amyloid kidney deposits after interruption of amylogenic stimulus, we report a case of a 47-year-old woman with nephrotic syndrome due to renal amyloidosis, complicating abdominal Castleman's disease. After 5 courses of therapy with melphalan and prednisolone which failed to improve the nephrotic syndrome or her general clinical condition, and 1 year after the diagnosis of renal amyloidosis, surgical excision of the abdominal mass was performed. Whereas her clinical symptoms and other laboratory findings rapidly improved, the proteinuria took 18 months to disappear. A second renal biopsy, performed 30 months after surgical resection, showed persistence of the amyloid deposits in the same extent. However, electron microscopy revealed subtle reparative phenomena at the epithelial site of the basement membrane. We conclude that proteinuria associated with amyloidosis does not only depend on structural damage and that the new synthesized segment of basement membrane observed by us probably represents a mechanism of repair and the start of a long healing process.

Remission of nephrotic syndrome after removal of localized Castleman's disease

Renal complications of Castleman's disease are uncommon. Among the various renal disorders, including mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, membranous glomerulonephritis, and minimal change disease, nephrotic syndrome attributable to renal amyloidosis is very rarely reported. We report a case of mixed type of localized Castleman's disease complicated with nephrotic syndrome. Renal biopsy was performed. The deposition of AA amyloidosis was shown. After the removal of two mesenteric lymphoid masses, the proteinuria was gradually decreased and disappeared. Renal biopsy was repeated after 14 months, and, despite complete remission of nephrotic syndrome, no regression in amyloid deposition was found.