[A clinicopathological study of 8 cases of Castleman's disease]

Castleman's disease (CD) is a chronic lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by presence of giant lymphoid masses. The clinical features and histopathologic findings of 8 cases of CD diagnosed according to the criteria described by Frizzera were reported. 2 were male and 6 female; their age ranged from 26-66 years. Four patients with localized CD (three with hyaline vascular type and one with mixed type) had no systemic symptoms and had survived for a long time after surgery. Four patients with multicentric CD developed anemia, fever, elevated ESR, polyclonal immunoglobulinemia and manifestations of multisystem involvement. Steroids, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy had only resulted in partial remission in multicentric CD. The clinicopathologic differential diagnosis of CD from reactive lymph node hyperplasia in chronic infections, malignant lymphoma, connective tissue disease and angio-immunoblastic lymphadenopathy and the pathogenesis of CD were discussed.