Clinicopathological features of extranodal Rosai-Dorfman disease in head and neck

Purpose To investigate the clinicopathologic features,the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of extranodal Rosai-Dorfman disease in head and neck. Methods Five cases of extranodal Rosai-Dorfman disease in Beijing Tongren Hospital were studied using hematoxylin-eosin,and immunohistochemical staining. Results The 5 cases of Rosai-Dorfman disease consisted of 1 male and 4 females,aged from 37 to 72 years (mean 49 years). Histopathologically,The lesions of Rosai-Dorfman disease were characterized by the presence of large histiocytes with emperipolesis,accompanied by infiltration of the chronic inflammatory cells. These features of histopathology were less typical than that in lymph nodes. The large sinus histiocytes was positive for S-100 and CD68 protein staining. Conclusions Extranodal Rosai-Dorfman disease in head and neck is known as an idiopathic proliferative disease of histiocytes with a distinct morphologic feature and is very rare. Differential diagnosis from other types of tumor and inflammation lesions is recommended.