HHV8-positive, HIV-negative multicentric Castleman's disease: early and sustained complete remission with rituximab therapy without reactivation of Kaposi sarcoma

Int J Hematol. 2009 Oct;90(3):392-396. doi: 10.1007/s12185-009-0418-y. Epub 2009 Sep 12.

Abstract

Multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder with systemic symptoms and poor prognosis and is characterized by an abnormal proliferation of polyclonal plasmablasts in the mantle zone of B-cell follicles. The disease is found primarily in chronic HIV carriers and is usually strictly associated with human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8) coinfection, which is believed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of MCD. The disease is also diagnosed in HIV-negative patients, who are usually elderly or immunosuppressed; however, in about half of these cases, no evidence of HHV8 infection is found. The anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab is now the preferred treatment for HIV-positive MCD. However, it is not clear whether rituximab is effective in HIV-negative patients with MCD, particularly in the HHV8-positive subset. We report here the clinical and biologic courses of two HIV-negative, HHV8-positive patients with MCD who were treated with rituximab. In both cases, a significant clinical improvement was observed after the first two infusions, which was shortly followed by a drop in HHV8 viremia to undetectable levels. Both patients underwent complete clinical remission, which persisted without relapse at 30 and 9 months of follow-up, respectively. No reactivation of the Kaposi sarcoma found in a lymph node of one of the patients was observed. Our report, along with additional data present in the literature, suggests that rituximab may be an appropriate and safe first-line therapy for HIV-negative, HHV8-positive MCD.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Castleman Disease* / drug therapy
  • Castleman Disease* / pathology
  • Castleman Disease* / virology
  • HIV Seronegativity
  • Herpesvirus 8, Human*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Remission Induction
  • Rituximab
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi* / drug therapy
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi* / pathology
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi* / virology
  • Secondary Prevention

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Rituximab