Castleman s Disease: Report of Four Cases and Review of the Literature

Castleman’s disease (CD) is a rare benign lymphoproliferative disorder with unknown etiology and pathogenesis. It presents in two identified clinical forms of unicentric or multicentric. The disease is usually found incidentally in the mediastinal or hilar region in asymptomatic patients. In unicentric CD, constitutional symptoms are uncommon, and they can be misdiagnosed as lung infections or malignancy. Although imaging studies are helpful, but definitive diagnosis can be made with pathologic examination. Complete surgical resection is the method of choice for treatment of localized CD, and the prognosis is excellent. In this study, we elucidate clinical features and therapeutic consequences of four cases of unicentric CD referred to our department and review the literature on the diagnosis and management of this relatively rare disorder. Because of the rarity of the disease and nonspecific signs and symptoms of CD it must be considered in differential diagnosis of pulmonary and mediastinal masses.