Successful rituximab treatment of an elderly Japanese patient with HHV8-positive, HIV-negative multicentric Castleman disease.

Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV8)-positive, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative multicentric Castleman disease (MCD) is a rare and age-related lymphoproliferative disorder caused by cytokine storm. Rituximab treatment is currently recommended because B-cell depletion eliminates the primary reservoir for HHV8. We report the first case of effective rituximab treatment of a Japanese patient (an 87-year-old woman) with this disorder.

[Durable remission attained with rituximab therapy in a patient with acquired von Willebrand syndrome associated with CD20-positive lymphoproliferative disorder].

A 61-year-old female with no history of bleeding was admitted to our hospital owing to persistent bleeding after the left knee joint injection and activated partial thromboplastin time prolongation. Subsequent coagulation tests revealed a critically declined level of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) antigen (<10%) and activity (<10%) measurement besides a significantly declined factor VIII activity (4%). Despite diagnosing her with acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AvWS) and managing her bleeding with desmopressin acetate hydrate (DDAVP), we could not precisely make a definitive diagnosis the underlying disorder.