title: Prozone effect of serum IgE levels in a case of plasma cell leukemia.
abstract: We describe a case of multiple myeloma (MM) and secondary plasma cell leukemia (PCL) secreting IgE-kappa immunoglobulin. To our knowledge, only 2 cases of IgE-producing secondary PCL have been reported in the medical literature. In our patient, the only tumor marker available for monitoring the therapeutic response to chemotherapy and allogeneic stem cell transplantation was the quantitative M component at serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP), because serum free light chains were in the normal range, Bence-Jones proteinuria was absent, and quantitative serum IgE levels provided inaccurate and erratic results, due to the prozone effect. This is a laboratory phenomenon that occurs when antigen excess interferes with antibody-based methods requiring immune complex formation for detection. It is important to recognize the presence of a prozone effect, because it can produce falsely normal results, and therefore it could lead clinicians to incorrect assessment of the response to therapy.
authors.affiliation: Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. gtalamo@hmc.psu.edu
authors.forename: Giampaolo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Talamo
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Castellani
authors.forename: Nathan G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Dolloff
mesh_terms: D005188:False Negative Reactions; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D007952:Leukemia, Plasma Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E