Treatment of histiocytic neoplasms with intralesional steroids: A case series report

Rosai-Dorfman disease was first described in the 1960s and is characterized by hyperproliferation of histiocytes, which presents as painless lymphadenopathy with fever, night sweats, and weight loss. This disease often affects young adults and children of African descent. Different types of RDD exist, including familial, classical (nodal), extranodal, neoplasia-associated, and immune-associated. While this disease can cause significant pain, there is currently no consensus on treatment.

This case series outlines three cases of bony involvement of histiocytic neoplasms and our technique for intralesionoal steroid injections. Two cases were successfully treated with intralesional steroid injections and one patient was treated with oral steroids.

Histiocytic neoplasms can cause significant pain for patients and there is no standardized treatment as of yet. An interesting finding on MRI was a characteristic peripheral edema we termed the "Halo Sign". Steroids are believed to exert their benefit in treating this disease by apoptosis and reducing tumoral swelling.

This case series demonstrates the successful management of bony involvement of RDD with intralesional steroids similar to eosinophilic granuloma. While intralesional steroid injection has previously been described for other types of RDD, this is the first description of bony RDD treated with this technique to our knowledge.