Progressive transformation of germinal center presenting with histological features of hyaline‐vascular type of Castleman's disease

Abstract

We report three cases showing progressive transformation of the germinal center (PTGC) with histological features reminiscent of the hyaline-vascular (HV) variant of Castleman's disease (CD). Each case contained a few small HV germinal centers as well as PTGC and hyperplastic germinal centers with or without follicular lysis. Moreover, some of the PTGC were penetrated by hyalinized small vessels. Our three cases also showed some of the characteristic histological findings of HV type of CD: (i) reactive lymphoid follicles with small hyaline-vascular germinal centers surrounded by small lymphocytes in a concentrated fashion; (ii) a few small foci of plasmacytoid monocytes; (iii) perivascular fibrosis; (iv) interfollicular vascularity; (v) tight/concentric pattern of the follicular dendritic cell network; and (vi) absence of CD57+ T-cells in the HV follicles. The PTGC with coexistent HV type of CD may represent a certain form of reactive follicular hyperplasia. The possibility of PTGC should be considered and excluded before diagnosing CD.