Posterior mediastinal unicentric Castleman disease treated by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Abstract

Castleman disease (CD) represents an uncommon lymphoproliferative condition that can manifest as a mediastinal mass and resemble other thoracic pathologies. Establishing a definitive diagnosis before surgery is often difficult, making histopathological analysis crucial. We present the case of a 38-year-old man in whom a posterior mediastinal lesion was incidentally identified and initially interpreted as a neurogenic tumor on imaging. The mass was successfully removed via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Subsequent pathological evaluation revealed hyaline-vascular unicentric CD. This case underscores the need to consider CD in the differential diagnosis of posterior mediastinal masses and further supports the role of VATS as a safe and effective minimally invasive approach.