[The clinical features of Castleman disease in the head and neck].

Objective

To investigate the clinicopathological features, treatment and prognosis of Castleman disease in the head and neck.

Methods

The clinical and pathological data of 18 patients with Castleman disease of the head and neck in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from 2007 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 14 cases of unicentric type and 4 cases of multicentric type. The clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis were analyzed.

Results

Among the 18 cases of Castleman disease in the head and neck, 1 case was located in the parotid gland, 1 case was behind the ear, 1 case was in the parapharyngeal space, 3 cases were in the neck region Ⅰ, 2 cases were supraclavicular, 2 cases were in the neck region Ⅲ, the rest were located in more than two subregions of the neck. In patients with unicentric type, no tumor recurrence and progression were found in the postoperative re-examination with neck Doppler ultrasound and CT; in the multicentric type, multiple organ dysfunction, such as edema of both lower extremities, hepatosplenomegaly, and cough, were found. Of the 4 patients with multicentric type, only 1 patient received chemotherapy, and the remaining 3 patients refused chemotherapy and only received symptomatic treatment. All patients survived during follow-up, but the disease of multicentric patients progressed significantly, and the number of involved lymph nodes increased, and hepatosplenomegaly were found in some patients.

Conclusion

Castleman disease of the head and neck is mostly unicentric type, which is manifested as multiple asymptomatic enlarged lymph nodes in the neck. The surgical resection is effective and the prognosis is good. Multicentric Castleman disease of the head and neck has complex clinical symptoms and involves multiple organs over time, requiring follow-up treatment.