Treatment for All Types of Histiocyte Disorders
At Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center's Adult Histiocyte Disorders Center, our experts use novel approaches to the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and management of all adult histiocyte disorders, including:
- Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH): the most common histiocyte disorder; results from the body's overproduction of immature histiocytes, which are a type of white blood cell
- Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD): An extremely rare form of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis, with only a few hundred cases reported in the literature
- Histiocytic sarcoma (HS): Also an extremely rare form of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis – a disease of blood-derived cells
- Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD): An exceedingly rare disease, more commonly found in children, but also occurring in adults
- Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG): Also exceedingly rare; can mimic ECD, but is often treated differently
Learn more about histiocyte disorders.
Evaluation and Diagnosis
Techniques for diagnosing histiocyte disorders include:
- Biopsy, performed by our interventional radiologists and surgical oncologists
- Genetic analysis
- Radiology
- Laboratory testing
Often, patients have had biopsies elsewhere before coming to our Center. But whether performed here or elsewhere, our pathologists – recognized experts in histiocyte disorders – review all initial biopsies. This means that, in essence, all our patients at our Center receive a second pathology opinion.
Sub-specialists can also play a role in diagnosing histiocyte disease – for example:
- Dermatologists can perform skin biopsies, either to establish the diagnosis or see if the disease is affecting the skin
- Radiologists can review the imaging and describe the patterns of radiographic involvement
- Endocrinologists can help establish the diagnosis
- Genetic testing can search for inherited tendencies or potential targets for treatment
Personalized Treatment Plans
The appropriate treatment for histiocyte disorders is dictated by:
Treatments can include:
- The nature and extent of the disease
- The results of genetic profiling of the disease (occasionally)
- Other medical illnesses, which can make certain treatments more feasible and appropriate than others
Treatments can include:
- Drugs and chemotherapy
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Oral medications
- Clinical trials
- Stem cell transplant
