Pediatric Intraparotid Castleman's Disease

Abstract

Castleman's disease (CD) is a rare, benign lymphoepithelial disease of unknown cause that presents most commonly in the mediastinum. There are 2 histologic types of CD: the hyaline vascular type and the plasma cell type. In the head and neck, 98% of these lesions are of the hyaline vascular type. The differential diagnosis of CD includes reactive lymphadenopathy, lymphoproliferative disorders, lymph node metastasis, and other conditions. Approximately 80 cases of CD have been reported in children; head and neck involvement in children is extremely rare. A case of a child with intraparotid CD is presented; the clinical course, histopathologic presentation, radiographic findings, and management of CD are reviewed.