A Case of Rosai-Dorfman Disease Presenting as an Isolated Pleural Plaque

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare non-Langerhans histiocytic disorder primarily involving lymph nodes. Extranodal RDD has a heterogenous presentation, and isolated pulmonary involvement is rare. We report the only case of RDD presenting as an isolated pleural mass. Our patient was a 55-year-old female with multiple comorbidities who presented with chest pain. Imaging revealed an enlarging pleural-based lesion. She underwent resection of the pleural mass, showing an atypical histiocytic infiltrate in a prominent background of collagenous fibrosis. Immunohistochemistry shows CD1a-negative and S100-positive atypical histiocytic cells demonstrating emperipolesis, confirming the diagnosis of RDD. She is currently on six-month CT surveillance with no recurrence of the disease. This case highlights the unique pulmonary presentation of RDD. It also underscores that observations may be appropriate in isolated asymptomatic pleural involvement cases.