Plasma cell dyscrasia with marrow fibrosis. A reversible syndrome mimicking agnogenic myeloid metaplasia.
BACKGROUND
The interrelation between plasma cell dyscrasia and myelofibrosis or agnogenic myeloid metaplasia (AMM) is unclear. The existence of two distinct syndromes has been proposed: (1) plasma cell dyscrasia associated with simple marrow fibrosis caused by the secretion of lymphokines and (2) myeloma coexisting with AMM representing two distinct clonal diseases.


METHODS
The authors report the case of a 68 year-old man seen initially with severe anemia, massive splenomegaly, a leuko-erythroblastic blood morphology, and myelofibrosis coexisting with massive bone marrow infiltration with IgA lambda-producing plasmacytoid cells.


RESULTS
Cyclic therapy with vincristine, carmustine, cyclophosphamide, melphalan, and prednisone resulted in clinical remission of the myeloma lasting for 2 years and complete resolution of all the clinical features resembling AMM.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors' observations and the report of two other patients in whom remission of AMM has been observed after myeloma treatment underline the broad spectrum of secondary abnormalities ranging from moderate bone marrow fibrosis to the full clinical expression of a syndrome closely mimicking AMM. These secondary abnormalities are potentially reversible even in the presence of advanced bone marrow fibrosis and massive splenomegaly.
Meerkin
D
D
Department of Medicine, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
Ashkenazi
Y
Y
Gottschalk-Sabag
S
S
Hershko
C
C
D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002330:Carmustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D010265:Paraproteinemias / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D055728:Primary Myelofibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000150:complications; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
D014750:Vincristine; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D008558:Melphalan; D002330:Carmustine; D011241:Prednisone