Localized Castleman's disease in the breast.

INTRODUCTION: Castleman's disease (CD) is a rare disease with unknown etiology and is clinically associated with lymph nodes enlargement. Primary axillary localization of CD represents 2% of the cases. CD rarely occurs in the breasts.

PRESENTATION OF CASE: We herein describe a rare case of CD that initially presented in the breast intramammary lymph node and demonstrated axillary adenopathy. Pathologic analysis showed the hyaline vascular form. The patient underwent axillary lymphadenectomy. The natural history was irregular because the localized CD progressed to a systemic form of CD. At 4.6years of follow-up a Hodgkin's lymphoma appeared.

DISCUSSION: This is the fourth published case of localized breast CD published. It is important to evaluate other clinical lymphadenopathies at the time of diagnosis, and computed tomography is important for disease evaluation and follow-up.

CONCLUSION: Patients must undergo axillary lymphadenectomy when showing clinical symptoms. Irregular progression prompts new lymph node biopsy because of the potential presence of associated diseases.