Pulmonary LCH : Treatment

Comments:
Treatment of Pulmonary Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (PLCH): Primary PLCH in adults is strongly linked to smoking. Therefore, smoking cessation is the cornerstone of treatment. Non-smokers with PLCH or patients who progress despite smoking cessation are given glucocorticoids or cladribine. In patients with aggressive PLCH who develop irreversible lung damage or severe pulmonary hypertension, lung transplantation may be the only choice.

This image is a low magnification view of pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) nodule showing obliteration of normal parenchyma at its center. The dense infiltrate contains numerous Langerhans cells and eosinophils. The periphery of the nodule (lower left) shows hyperplastic alveolar pneumocytes lining the thickened alveolar septa.