Retroperitoneal Castleman disease: report of a case and review of the literature

Castleman disease or giant node hyperplasia is a rare disorder of the lymphoid tissue most often involving the mediastinal lymph nodes. We report a case of localized retroperitoneal hyaline-vascular type of Castleman disease. A 35-year old woman presented with mild epigastric pain with radiation to the back. Amild anemia was the only abnormal associated finding. Abdominal ultrasound and CTscan showed a homogeneous well-demarcated mass beneath the pancreas. Excisional biopsy on laparotomy revealed a highly vascular encapsulated mass with a diameter of 6 centimeters. Histopathology examination was diagnostic: hyaline-vascular hype Castleman disease. Castleman disease, although rare, is one of the differential diagnoses of a retroperitoneal mass, most often discovered incidentally or due to pain and compressive symptoms. Excision is both diagnostic and curative for management of the localized form of Castleman disease.