The digestive system manifestations of Rosai-Dorfman disease (Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy): Review of 11 cases

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD), originally described as sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, is a rare histiocytic proliferative disorder with a distinctive microscopic appearance. Formerly thought to be a process limited to lymph nodes, involvement by RDD has now been documented in many organ systems, notably bone, skin and soft tissue, central nervous system, eye and orbit, and upper respiratory tract. The digestive system, however, is affected only exceptionally, as reflected by the existence of only a handful of individual case reports. In this article, we report 11 patients in which the disease involved intestinal tract, liver, or pancreas, and describe the most salient clinicopathologic features. The specific site of involvement within the digestive system was gastrointestinal tract in 5, liver in 5, and pancreas in 1, Most patients also had evidence of disease in other extranodal sites, as well as in 1 or more lymph node groups. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.