Rosai‐Dorfman disease in Malawi

Abstract

Key Clinical MessageRosai‐Dorfman Disease (RDD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disease with limited cases reported in sub‐Saharan Africa, potentially due to a lack of pathological services throughout the region. RDD diagnosis can be difficult, especially in resource‐limited setting, as symptoms can be nearly identical to more common causes of lymphadenopathy.

Update on pathology laboratory development and research in advancing regional cancer care in Malawi

“…Firstly, it was recognized that most patients who were biopsied for cervical lymphadenopathy had malignant diagnoses (35%) rather than tuberculosis (6%), the latter of which was believed to be the most common cause of cervical lymphadenopathy in Africa at the time ( 20 ). Later, several case reports and case series expanded knowledge and recognition of rare subtypes of LPDs seen at KCH including extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma ( 21 ), Rosai-Dorfman disease ( 22 ), primary effusion lymphoma ( 23 ), plasmablastic lymphoma ( 24 ), and multicentric Castleman disease ( 25 – 28 ). Through facilitating clinical trial enrollment, the KCH lymphoma study has also shown that CHOP, R-CHOP, and modified EPOCH are safe, effective, and feasible treatment regimens for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) ( 29 ), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) ( 30 ), and other high-risk NHLs, e.g., plasmablastic lymphoma ( 31 ), respectively.…”