Erdheim-Chester disease mimicking an intracranial trigeminal schwannoma: case report

Craniospinal irradiation for respiratory failure secondary to central nervous system Erdheim-Chester disease

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis typically featuring lower extremity osteosclerosis (96%) from Langerin-negative histiocytes with fibrosis. Central nervous system (CNS)-only disease is extremely rare, and particularly difficult to diagnose and manage. Neurologic complaints may be refractory to systemic therapy (ST), and the role of radiation therapy (RT) is undefined. We present a patient with ECD of the medulla complicated by respiratory failure and strength deficits with disseminated leptomeningeal disease (LMD) but not systemic disease, representing the first report of CNS-limited ECD with LMD. He received upfront craniospinal irradiation (CSI), representing a rare account of CSI for ESD, with marked clinical improvement resulting in extubation and improved strength. CSI facilitated excellent preservation of quality of life, and no treatment-related toxicity was observed prior to eventual, unrelated cardiopulmonary arrest. Thus, palliative CSI may augment ST by safely offering improved local control and symptomatic relief for CNS ECD.

Erdheim-Chester disease: First pediatric case report in Colombia

The Erdheim-Chester’s disease is extremely rare in children. We present the case of a 12-year-old girl with histological and radiological diagnosis of this disease and mutation of the BRAF gene, who developed multisystemic compromise requiring treatment with dabrafenib. We identified 22 reports of this condition among children worldwide and this is the second pediatric case in Latin America. Diagnostic imaging is critical to confirm Erdheim-Chester disease and for the surgical planning of the biopsy. Additionally, we identified the parasellar dark sign, which has previously been reported on lymphocytic hypophysitis. This report contributes to the current practice as it shows the clinical presentation and the diagnostic workout of this disease in pediatrics.

Neurologic and oncologic features of Erdheim-Chester disease: a 30-patient series

BACKGROUND

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare histiocytic neoplasm characterized by recurrent alterations in the MAPK (mitogen-activating protein kinase) pathway. The existing literature about the neuro-oncological spectrum of ECD is limited.

METHODS

We present retrospective clinical, radiographic, pathologic, molecular, and treatment data from 30 patients with ECD neurohistiocytic involvement treated at a tertiary center.

RESULTS

Median age was 52 years (range, 7-77), and 20 (67%) patients were male. Presenting symptoms included ataxia in 19 patients (63%), dysarthria in 14 (47%), diabetes insipidus in 12 (40%), cognitive impairment in 10 (33%), and bulbar affect in 9 (30%). Neurosurgical biopsy specimens in 8 patients demonstrated varied morphologic findings often uncharacteristic of typical ECD lesions. Molecular analysis revealed mutations in BRAF (18 patients), MAP2K1 (5), RAS isoforms (2), and 2 fusions involving BRAF and ALK. Conventional therapies (corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, interferon-alpha [IFN-α], cytotoxic chemotherapy) led to partial radiographic response in 8/40 patients (20%) by MRI with no complete responses, partial metabolic response in 4/16 (25%), and complete metabolic response in 1/16 (6%) by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET scan. In comparison, targeted (kinase inhibitor) therapies yielded partial radiographic response in 10/27 (37%) and complete radiographic response in 14/27 (52%) by MRI, and partial metabolic response in 6/25 (24%) and complete metabolic response in 17/25 (68%) by FDG-PET scan.

CONCLUSIONS

These data highlight underrecognized symptomatology, heterogeneous neuropathology, and robust responses to targeted therapies across the mutational spectrum in ECD patients with neurological involvement, particularly when conventional therapies have failed.

Effective High-dose Interferon-α Therapy in a 13-Year-Old Girl With Erdheim-Chester Disease

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a proliferative disorder of non-Langerhans histiocytes with a higher incidence in the fifth to seventh decades and rarer occurrence in the pediatric population. Although ECD typically involves bone, it can also affect the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, retro-orbital space, retroperitoneal space, and kidneys, lungs, and skin. A 13-year-old Syrian girl who presented with multisystemic involvement was diagnosed with ECD. The B-Raf proto-oncogene V600E mutation was not detected in ECD lesions. Response to the high-dose interferon-α therapy was excellent in this pediatric patient. In this article, pediatric ECD case reports are also reviewed.

Erdheim-Chester disease mimicking lumbar nerve schwannoma: case report and literature review

Introduction

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. The clinical spectrum of ECD is diverse, varying from asymptomatic focal lesion to life-threatening multisystem infiltration. Neurological manifestations of ECD are common, mostly due to the involvement of the central nerve system. However, spinal nerve or peripheral nerve involvement has rarely been mentioned.

Case presentation

Herein, we present a case of a 32-year-old female patient complaining about radiating pain on the front and lateral side of her left thigh for 2 months. Spinal MRI with contrast enhancement showed a space-occupying lesion on the left L3/L4 intervertebral foramen, indicating an initial diagnosis of lumbar nerve schwannoma. The patient underwent surgery to remove the mass and decompress the lumbar nerve. Postoperative histological examination revealed the diffuse infiltration of foamy histiocytes that were CD68+, CD163+, and CD1a- on immunostaining, which confirmed the diagnosis of Erdheim-Chester disease. The radiating pain was gradually alleviated and PET-CT was performed but showed no further involvement of ECD.

Discussion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of ECD demonstrated as an infiltrative mass on the spinal nerve, with imaging manifestations and compression symptoms similar to those of peripheral nerve schwannoma.

Skull Base Manifestations of Erdheim-Chester Disease: A Case Series and Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Up to 50% of patients develop central nervous system involvement, and a subset of these patients can present with isolated tumor-like masses.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the skull base manifestations of ECD with an emphasis on aspects most pertinent to surgeons who may be referred such patients for primary evaluation.

METHODS

Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed were searched from database inception to May 1, 2018 for articles reporting skull base ECD. An institutional retrospective analysis of all patients treated at the authors’ institution since January 1, 1996 was also performed to supplement these data.

RESULTS

Of 465 retrieved articles, 18 studies totaling 20 patients met inclusion criteria. Institutional review identified an additional 7 patients. Collectively, the median age at diagnosis was 49 yr (interquartile range, 42-58) with a 4:1 male-to-female ratio. Patients frequently presented with diplopia (48%), headache (30%), dysarthria (22%), and vertigo or imbalance (22%), though trigeminal hypesthesia (11%), facial nerve paresis (7%), hearing loss (7%), and trigeminal neuralgia (7%) were also observed. ECD commonly mimicked meningioma (33%), trigeminal schwannoma (8%), neurosarcoidosis (8%), and skull base lymphoma (8%).

CONCLUSION

Discrete skull base lesions frequently mimic more common pathology such as meningioma or cranial nerve schwannomas. Medical therapy comprises the initial treatment for symptomatic skull base disease. Surgical resection is not curative and the utility of surgical intervention is largely limited to biopsy to establish diagnosis and/or surgical debulking to relieve mass effect.

Intracranial Erdheim-Chester Disease Mimicking Parafalcine Meningioma: Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis that typically occurs in middle-aged patients. It is usually characterized by multifocal osteosclerotic lesions of the long-bones, however many cases have extraskeletal involvement. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is common, but isolated CNS involvement at presentation has rarely been reported.

CASE DESCRIPTION

Here we report two cases of dural-based ECD mimicking meningioma on imaging with no other identified sites of disease.

CONCLUSION

ECD is a rare disease, with isolated CNS involvement reported only a few times in the literature. The significance of this presentation requires additional study and long-term follow up.

Comparative Study of Clinical, Pathological, Radiological, and Genetic Features of Patients With Adult Ocular Adnexal Xanthogranulomatous Disease, Erdheim-Chester Disease, and IgG4-Related Disease of the Orbit/Ocular Adnexa

PURPOSE

To compare and contrast the clinical, radiologic, pathologic, and genetic features of patients with ocular adnexal IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) and patients with adult ocular adnexal xanthogranulomatous disease (XG).

METHODS

This retrospective review study identified patients with histological evidence of either disease from records of the pathology department of our hospital from 1996 to 2014. Clinical, imaging, and a variety of histopathologic features were collected for 23 patients with IgG4-RD and 13 patients with XG. Next generation sequencing with a 50-gene cancer screening panel was performed on biopsy tissues from 10 patients in each group.

RESULTS

Statistical differences between the 2 groups include eyelid (67%; p = 0.0002) and anterior orbital (75%; p = 0.0352) predilection for XG except for Erdheim-Chester disease subgroup which was more posterior and diffuse. Eyelid involvement was rare (4%) for IgG4-RD. Involvement of orbital nerves was seen in 30% of IgG4-RD and 0% in XG (p = 0.0695). Five patients with IgG4-RD developed malignancy (4 lymphoma, 1 leiomyosarcoma), but none of XG patients. Discriminating pathological features were the presence of any IgG4+ plasma cells (p = 0.0121) and the ratio of IgG4+/IgG+ plasma cells (p =0.0294) for IgG4-RD. Five of 12 (42%) patients with XG had sufficient numbers of IgG4+ plasma cells/high power field to fulfill published diagnostic criteria for IgG4-RD, and 5 (42%) had a ratio of IgG4+/IgG+ plasma cells over 40%, but the numbers overall were less than seen in the IgG4-RD patients. The only genetic difference between the 2 groups was that BRAF V600E mutation was found in 1 of the 2 Erdheim-Chester disease patients, which form a subgroup of XG.

CONCLUSIONS

IgG4-RD and XG share clinical, imaging, and histopathological features including IgG4+ plasma cells. Significant differences were the eyelid involvement in XG, orbital nerve involvement, and an elevated IgG4+/IgG+ ratio in IgG4-RD and the only genetic abnormality found was BRAF V600E mutation in the Erdheim-Chester disease subgroup of XG.

MRI and CT findings of isolated intracranial Rosai-Dorfman disease in a child

Isolated intracranial Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is extremely rare in pediatric patients. We present the case of a 22-month-old boy whom had isolated intracranial RDD involvement. To our knowledge, a parieto-occipital regional involvement without a dural tail sign has not been previously documented. Also, the mass contained hyperintense central T1 foci, and hypointense T2 and gradient echo foci; which are helpful in the differential diagnosis from meningioma. The magnetic resonance and computed tomography imaging findings are discussed and the follow-up course is presented in this paper.