Cervical spine Rosai–Dorfman disease: A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND: Rosai–Dorfman disease is a benign lymphatic tissue proliferative disease with slow growth and is rarely observed in the clinic. Most of these patients present clinically with enlarged lymph nodes. In patients with spinal extranodal Rosai–Dorfman disease, which is even rare than the disease of lymph nodes, patients may experience numbness and weakness in the extremities. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 32-year-old male patient with multi-segmental spinal Rosai–Dorfman disease. On admission, his left fingers had been numb for 2 months. Over a 2-month period, the limb numbness progressed from the left to the right hand. The patient underwent resection of the lesion and internal fixation of the C2–C7 spine. The postoperative outcomes were satisfied and no recurrence was observed at 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Spinal Rosai–Dorfman disease is a relatively rare tumor of which the pathogenesis is still unclear, and most patients have no specific clinical manifestations. Characteristic imaging findings can indicate this disease, however, a definitive diagnosis still depends on a pathological examination. Currently, total surgical resection of the tumor is a relatively effective and preferred treatment.