Peripheral T cell lymphoma coexisting with Castleman's disease: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE: Peripheral T cell lymphoma, coexisting with Castleman's disease (CD), is rarely seen in clinical practice and is not frequently reported in the literature. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 68-year-old female was admitted to our hospital for the first time due to “multiple lumps in the neck that progressively enlarged over 7 months”. 1.5 years later, the patient returned to our hospital complaining of “ difficulty breathing and purulent blood in the mouth for more than 20 days”. DIAGNOSIS: The postoperative pathology from the (right) cervical lymph node biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of Castleman Disease (Vascular follicular type). 1.5 years after the diagnosis of CD, the patient developed secondary peripheral T cell lymphoma of unspecified type (PTCL-U). INTERVENTIONS: The patient received 5 courses of chemotherapy: 2 courses of CHOP, Chidamide combined with GemOx, GDP and Hyper CVAD Bregimen. OUTCOMES: After 3 courses of treatment, the curative effect was partly remitted (PR). The patient was discharged in a good condition and the follow-up was uneventful. LESSONS: The mechanism responsible for CD concurrent or secondary lymphoma is not clear. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection may be the most common reason of CD and PTCL-U. Further understanding the mechanisms of the condition is needed.