title: Multiple myeloma and amyloidosis of the tongue.
abstract: Tongue biopsies of 30 diagnosed cases of multiple myeloma were examined light and electron microscopically and amyloid deposits were identified in 8 patients. Immunochemical typing of amyloid in kappa and lambda subtypes was performed successfully although positive staining of tissue-associated immunoglobulin light chains made reliable identification of amyloid with this technique difficult. Cells of macrophage lineage appear to play a central role in light chain-associated amyloidogenesis. Our findings do not agree with the reported higher amyloidogenic potential of lambda light chains and we were unable to show a positive correlation between the percentage plasma cells in bone marrow aspirates or the presence of urinary light chains and myeloma-associated amyloidosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Medical University of Southern Africa.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Raubenheimer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dauth
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Pretorius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000682:Amyloid; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003224:Congo Red; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains / Q000032:analysis; D007146:Immunoglobulin lambda-Chains / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000150:complications*; D014060:Tongue Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains; D007146:Immunoglobulin lambda-Chains; D003224:Congo Red