Castleman's Disease: A case report of rare cause of lymphadenopathy in the Head and Neck and review of the literature

Abstract

Introduction: Castleman's disease is a rare, typically benign, non-neoplastic lymphoproliferative disorder first described by Dr Castleman in the 1954. It can be classified according the number of areas affected as localized (unicentric) or systemic (multicentre) It can also be defined by the microscopic features of the lymph nodes into four categories: hyaline-vascular, plasma cell, mixed and plasmablastic. The most common presentation is the multicentric hyaline vascular type while the thorax and abdomen are the most affected sites. A clinical diagnosis may be suspected but definite diagnosis is achieved with histopathology due to lack of distinguishing radiological features. Management can include surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.