Castleman disease is an uncommon and heterogenous lymphoproliferative disorder which is classified as unicentric or multicentric depending on the number of lymph nodes involved. Each type has a different clinical presentation, aetiology, treatment and prognosis. We report the case of a young woman who presented with cervical lymphadenopathy and a retroperitoneal mass, and was diagnosed with unicentric Castleman disease and pheochromocytoma. We describe the diagnostic steps, the complications that developed, and the importance of the differential diagnosis in the evaluation of these patients.
Learning points: Castleman disease in an uncommon disease and should be considered in all patients with adenomegalies and systemic symptoms.Pheochromocytoma should not be overlooked in the differential diagnosis of a retroperitoneal mass.It is important that doctors consider these two diagnoses in patients with adenomegalies and a retroperitoneal mass due to the potential harmful impact of a missed diagnosis.
Keywords: Castleman disease; IL-6; adenomegaly; adrenal mass; pheochromocytoma.
© EFIM 2022.