BACKGROUND

Castleman disease (CD) is a relatively rare benign lymphoproliferative disorder of the lymphoid tissue. According to clinical manifestations, it is classified into two types: unicentric CD (UCD) and multicentric CD (MCD). Pathological subtypes include hyaline-vascular (HV), plasma cell (PC), and mixed (MV). Gastrointestinal CD is extremely rare, and limited information is available regarding its clinical presentation and management.

CASE SUMMARY

We report a case of a patient who presented with paroxysmal epigastric pain for 4 years. Laboratory tests showed no remarkable abnormalities, whereas CT revealed endogenous occupancy on the side of the greater curvature of the stomach. Ultrasonographic endoscopy demonstrated hypoechoic, well-defined foci. The lesion initially suspected to be an inflammatory fibroma was subsequently pathologically confirmed as HV-UCD following endoscopic submucosal dissection. The lesion was completely resected, and the patient showed no signs of recurrence during 7 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Gastrointestinal CD is rare and should be differentiated from other occupying lesions. Its definitive diagnosis relies on histopathology.