Two Cases of Nonsecretory Multiple Myeloma Presenting as Primary Plasma Cell Leukemia

Abstract

Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a rare variant of multiple myeloma (MM) with a poor prognosis. Nonsecretory myeloma is also a rare form of MM characterized by the absence of detectable M-protein in the serum and urine. This report describes two cases of nonsecretory PCL. The first patient was an 85-year-old man in whom the lack of monoclonal immunoglobulins made it difficult to make a diagnosis because the malignant cells showed an atypical morphology. He died of rapid disease progression before starting chemotherapy. The second patient was a 78-year-old woman whose tumor cells displayed a typical plasma cell morphology. She was successfully treated with bortezomib-containing chemotherapy.

Plasma cell leukemia: A rare case

“…Hypercalcaemia, renal failure and elevated serum β2 microglobulin are more common and our observation is one of them. On flow cryometry, plasma cells in APL share with multiple myeloma an expression of CD38 and CD138 surface antigens [5].…”