Paediatric Castleman disease: report of seven cases and review of the literature

Castleman disease is a distinct lymphoproliferative disorder of unknown ori gin. Seven new cases in children are reported here and 76 cases from the pa ediatric literature are reviewed. The disease has been reported in 46 femal es and 37 males, their age ranging from 2 months to 17 years. The disease w as localized in 72 cases and multicentric in 11 cases. The hyalinovascular type was more frequently encountered (54%) than the plasma cell type (24%). Laboratory abnormalities were more often associated with the plasma cell t ype and were mainly represented by anaemia and hypergammaglo bulinaemia. Tr eatment of the localized tumour consisted of surgical excision, whereas tre atment of the multicentric form was medical, comprising prednisone and othe r immunosuppressor drugs. The disease in the paediatric population seems to have a more favourable course than in adults. Conclusion The paediatric features of the disease suggest that Castleman di sease in this population could represent an earlier form of the pathology o r even suggest a benign lymphoproliferative disorder.