Castleman's disease mimetizing pancreatic tumor

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pathology

Background:

• Castleman's disease, or angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia, is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder.
• Its etiology, pathophysiology, and optimal treatment strategies remain incompletely defined.
• Unicentric Castleman's disease most commonly affects mediastinal lymph nodes.

Observation:

• A 64-year-old male presented with constitutional symptoms including asthenia and adynamia.
• Imaging revealed a pancreatic head mass, initially suspected to be a neoplasm.
• Histopathological examination confirmed unicentric Castleman's disease.

Findings:

• Castleman's disease presenting in the pancreas is exceptionally rare, with fewer than 15 reported cases.
• Preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic Castleman's disease is challenging due to its neoplastic mimicry.
• Histopathology is crucial for definitive diagnosis.

Implications:

• This case highlights the importance of considering Castleman's disease in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic masses.
• Surgical enucleation proved effective for this pancreatic Castleman's disease presentation.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the optimal management of pancreatic Castleman's disease.