title: [PET-CT documented remission of multicentric Castleman disease after treatment with rituximab: case report and review].
abstract: We describe a case of multicentric Castleman disease with generalized lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly, accompanied by typical B symptoms - loss of 15 kg, fever of non-infectious origin, night sweats, symptoms of anemia. Histological examination of the nodes with the highest accumulation of fluorodeoxyglucose, taken from mediastinum by thoracoscopy, revealed plasmocellular type of Castleman disease. Tests for HIV and human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) were negative. Three recurrences of herpes zoster indicating an alteration of immunity preceded the dia-gnosis of disease. Treatment was initiated with combination of thalidomide, dexamethasone, and cyclophosphamide. The response after 2 months therapy was not clear and patient doesn't tolerated the therapy well. Therefore, this treatment was terminated and R-CHOP (Mabthera - rituximab, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone) was selected as a second-line therapy. Lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly were reduced during the 2 cycles of treatment, however, serious infectious complications accompanied the therapy. Therefore, only use of Mabthera monotherapy 375 mg /m2 was administered in 28-day intervals. This treatment has shown efficacy and tolerability. PET-CT scan has demonstrated disappearance of lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly, in addition, normalized accumulation of fluorodeoxyglucose. Monotherapy with Mabthera has proved to be effective and well tolerated drug in this case. Currently, there are more effective therapeutic alternatives in multicentric Castleman disease: treatment with monotherapy of rituximab or in combination therapy with immunomodulatory drugs (thalidomide or lenalidomide, treatment with anti-IL-6 (siltuximab) or against its receptor (tocilizumab). In the case of ineffectiveness of one treatment option must be tested other alternative. In this case the therapy based on thalidomide wasn't successful, whereas the treatment with Mabthera has achieved disappearance of disease symptoms.
authors: Zdeněk
authors: Z
authors: Adam
authors: Petr
authors: P
authors: Szturz
authors: Renata
authors: R
authors: Koukalová
authors: Zdeněk
authors: Z
authors: Řehák
authors: Luděk
authors: L
authors: Pour
authors: Marta
authors: M
authors: Krejčí
authors: Lenka
authors: L
authors: Šmardová
authors: Michal
authors: M
authors: Eid
authors: Pavlína
authors: P
authors: Volfová
authors: Zdeňka
authors: Z
authors: Čermáková
authors: Leoš
authors: L
authors: Křen
authors: Filip
authors: F
authors: Sokol
authors: Ivo
authors: I
authors: Hanke
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Michalková
authors: Zdeněk
authors: Z
authors: Král
authors: Jiří
authors: J
authors: Mayer
mesh_terms: D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005871:Castleman Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D064847:Multimodal Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D000069283:Rituximab; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000069283:Rituximab