IgG4-related pseudotumours: a series of 12 cases and a review of the literature

Abstract

IgG4-related pseudotumours (IgG4-RPT) represent a distinctive manifestation in the broad spectrum of IgG4-related diseases (IgG4-RD). Due to their wide morphology and rarity, IgG4-RPTs represent a diagnostic challenge in the differential between reactive lesions and a fibrous soft tissue tumours. Thus, our aim was to characterise our cases and review the literature, focusing on the macroscopic and microscopic features of the lesions. In this paper, we summarise the possible presentations and histomorphological features of IgG4-RPT based on data collected from the literature and from cases at our institute and provide an overview of the pathogenesis and histological characteristics based on the knowledge accumulated in recent years. We collected surgical cases with a diagnosis of IgG4-RPT over the period 2013-2020 at two centres and analysed their macroscopic, histological, and immunohistochemical profiles. Furthermore, we performed a literature research in the MEDLINE and EBSCO databases regarding case reports and studies with the explicit diagnosis of IgG4-RPT. Our cases consist of nine men and three women, with an average age of 60±14 years, representing about 0.05% of the lesions evaluated at the two departments. The involved sites include the kidney, lung, gallbladder, pterygopalatine fossa, spleen, tongue, mediastinum, and submandibular gland. Grossly, nine lesions showed sharp margins. On histological examination, all the lesions showed an abundant inflammatory infiltrate with lymphocytes and IgG4-positive plasma cells as well as characteristic fibroblastic storiform proliferation. The literature search revealed 266 cases and similar histomorphological features in 23 locations. In 30 of these cases (11%), IgG4-RPTs were multifocal. IgG4-RPT are exceedingly rare lesions, which makes them challenging to diagnose. They can affect different sites, and the histomorphological presentation may differ.

Keywords: IgG4-related; autoimmune; pseudotumour.