[Castleman's disease: presentation of an atypical case]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Oncology
• Hematology
• Pathology

Background:

• Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder of unknown etiology.
• It typically affects young adults but can occur in children, presenting as localized or multicentric forms.
• Histopathological subtypes include hyaline-vascular and plasma-cell variants, correlating with clinical presentation and prognosis.

Observation:

• This article presents a case of localized Castleman disease in a 3-year-old girl.
• The patient presented with a solitary mediastinal mass, characteristic of the localized form.
• The child remained asymptomatic for two years post-diagnosis and treatment.

Findings:

• Localized Castleman disease, particularly the hyaline-vascular type, is often successfully treated with surgical resection.
• The multicentric form presents a greater therapeutic challenge with varied treatment strategies yielding limited success.
• Accurate histopathological diagnosis is crucial for determining the appropriate management and predicting prognosis.

Implications:

• Castleman disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pediatric lymphoproliferative disorders.
• Early diagnosis and surgical intervention for localized Castleman disease can lead to favorable long-term outcomes.
• Further research into the etiology and effective treatments for multicentric Castleman disease is warranted.