title: Consolidation therapy with autologous blood stem cell transplantation in a patient with primary plasma cell leukaemia.
abstract: Primary plasma cell leukaemia (PPCL) is a rare form of plasma cell dyscrasia. Conventional melphalan-based treatment is often ineffective, with a reported median survival of 2-7 months only. We report a 53-year-old man with PPCL who was treated with four cycles of combination chemotherapy including vincristine, adriamycin and dexamethasone that resulted in a good partial remission. High-dose melphalan 200 mg/m2 and autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) rescue was then given 6 months after diagnosis. Maintenance interferon-alpha was started 8 weeks after transplantation with good drug compliance. Complete remission was achieved and molecular remission was documented 11 months after autologous PBSC transplantation. In conclusion, high-dose therapy followed by autologous stem cell rescue is a feasible option for PPCL that can result in a reasonably sustained remission.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon, HongKong, China.
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: So
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007952:Leukemia, Plasma Cell / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036102:Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D012074:Remission Induction / Q000379:methods; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha