Abstract
In 1954 Castleman et al reported a case of mediastinal lymph-node hyperplasia resembling thymoma, after that in 1956 they summarized similar cases histologically characterized by hyperplasia of lymph follicles, prominent vascular proliferation and hyalinization. But with increasing number of reports, cases with extrathoracic location or with systemic manifestation such as anemia, fever, hepatosplenomegaly, elevated ESR and hyperglobulinemia have been reported. In 1972 Keller et al suggested 2 histologic types: the hyaline-vascular type (H-V type), characterized by small hyaline-vascular follicles and interfollicular capillary proliferation ; the plasma cell type (P-C type), characterized by large follicles with inter-vening sheets of plasma cells.
The author analyzed, and reviewed 202 cases of Castleman's lymphoma in the literature.
1) Most of the cases are H-V type, and cases of P-C type and mixed type are few.
2) The age range of the cases are distributed in all ages, frequently from 10 to 40 years old (mean 30 years old). There is no sexual difference.
3) In most of cases swelling of the lymph-node is localized in a single lymph-node, and rarely systemic. In about half of cases the location of the lesion is in the thorax.
In cases of P-C type and mixed type systemic manifestation such as anemia, fever, hepatosplenomegaly, elevated ESR, hyperglobulinemia and hypoferremia are frequently found. Reports of cases with growth disturbance, amenorrhea, peripheral neuropathy, abnormal pigmentation and nephrotic syndrome are rare.
