Thoracic Paraspinal Castleman Disease in a Young Mexican-American Man with Postcoital Hematuria

Castleman disease (CD) is an uncommon disorder of deregulated lymphoproliferation with unicentric (UCD) and multicentric forms based on extent of nodal involvement. Gross resection with histopathologic analysis remains the gold standard for diagnosis of UCD and is curative in most cases. Symptomatic paraspinal UCD is a rare presentation with potentially dangerous complications, and its tendency to mimic more common spinal tumors presents a significant diagnostic challenge.

A 25-year-old Hispanic man with no past medical history was evaluated for a known left-sided paraspinal mass that was incidentally discovered during an emergency department work-up for hematuria. Computed tomography on initial presentation revealed a 5.3 cm × 3.3 cm × 4.8 cm heterogeneously enhancing left paraspinal mass adjacent to the T11 vertebral body with tonguelike extension into the T11-T12 neural foramen. Although he remained neurologically intact throughout most of the diagnostic work-up, an inconclusive biopsy, worsening hematuria, and late-onset radiculopathy with severe back pain prompted surgical intervention. Microscopic histomorphology was consistent with CD. He continued to have intermittent hematuria and dysuria postoperatively, but repeat computed tomography at 7 months confirmed no recurrence of the mass.

Compared with previous reports, our case of postcoital hematuria and radiculopathy accompanying a paraspinal thoracic mass in a young Mexican-American man is a unique presentation. Awareness and early consideration of UCD in the work-up of a paraspinal mass may spare affected patients adverse and dangerous sequelae, such as spinal cord compression and excessive intraoperative hemorrhage.