Vinblastine, rituximab and HAART, treatment of an HIV -positive patient with multicentric Castleman's disease.
An HIV-positive man from Somalia presented with severe malaise, weight loss, relapsing fever, lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. An FDG-PET-scan-guided lymph node biopsy revealed the characteristic histological features of the plasma cell variant of Castleman's disease. A high HHV-8 viral load was detected in the serum (7980 copies/ml). Treatment with HAART, rituximab and vinblastine resulted in a full and rapid recovery and lowered HHV-8 viral load to undetectable levels.
van Aalderen
M C
MC
Department of Internal Medicine, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. m.c.vanaalderen@olvg.nl
Brinkman
K
K
van den Berk
G E L
GE
Terpstra
W E
WE
D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D005871:Castleman Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D000069283:Rituximab; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000069283:Rituximab; D014747:Vinblastine