Three cases of Kimura's disease

The characteristic clinical sign leading to a diagnosis of Kimura's disease (eosinophilic granulomatosis of the soft tissue) is the presence of a subcutaneous mass, usually in the region of the head and neck, which can be confirmed on a histological examination of this tissue. Although many ways of treating this disease have been reported, a definitive method has not yet been established. A surgical excision or radiation and steroid therapy have been the primary ways. However, any one of these methods used independently has led to a high incidence of recurrence. In this report, the authors discuss three cases of Kimura's disease and describe their method of treatment, using a form of combined therapy. Surgery is performed to reduce the size of the tumor mass, and depending on the amount of the peripheral eosinophiles, additional steroid and/or radiation treatment is also carried out. Of cases so treated, the longest observation period after surgery has been 5 years, and there have been no instances of a recurrence of the tumor. As a result of our experience, we feel that a combined therapy is useful for treating Kumura's disease, and that additional therapy is heeded to suppress eosinophilic production so as to prevent tumor regrowth.