Therapy of necrobiotic xanthogranuloma – case series and review of the literature

Abstract

Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma is a rare disease that is part of the non-Langerhans cell histiocytoses. It is characterized by yellowish skin lesions, which are typically periorbitally localized. Extracutaneous manifestations of all organs are possible and can cause potentially life-threatening complications. The disease also belongs to the facultative paraneoplasias and is often associated with paraproteinemia. These aspects should be considered regarding further diagnostics. Due to the rarity of the disease, there are no standardized guidelines for therapy so far. The combination of prednisolone and chlorambucil as well as intravenous immunoglobulins seem to be effective therapeutic options. We present four cases from our clinic as well as the current results of the literature in this mini-review and would like to highlight the therapeutic challenge as well as the need for the development of guidelines.