Castleman disease constitutes a rare class of lymphoproliferative disorders, with an estimated incidence of 21 to 25 per million patient years. The idiopathic subtype exhibits a significantly diverse clinical presentation, which can imitate many autoimmune, malignant, and infectious diseases. Cutaneous manifestations are uncommon and require in-depth investigation, especially when concurrent lymphadenopathy is present. A 79-year-old female, with a chronic, complicated erysipelas-like lesion, presented with bilaterally enlarged inguinal lymph nodes; after surgical excision, their histopathological examination revealed Castleman disease. Even though it is a benign condition, patients are often predisposed to developing certain types of malignancies, which can deteriorate their prognosis. An accurate and early diagnosis, along with effective treatment and prevention of recurrence, is of utmost importance in order to increase the patients' overall survival and quality of life.
Keywords: Castleman disease; case report; cutaneous manifestation; idiopathic; lymphoproliferative disorders; plasmacytic variant.