A Case of Extramedullary Progression Despite of Serologic Improvement in a Patient Treated with Thalidomide for Multiple Myeloma

Young Jin Yuh; Hyun Su Kim; Young Jung Park; Heung Sik Um; Sang Bong Choi; Ban Suck Lee; Sung Rok Kim; Tae Hee Han

doi:10.5045/kjh.2005.40.3.188

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Yuh, Kim, Park, Um, Choi, Lee, Kim, and Han: A Case of Extramedullary Progression Despite of Serologic Improvement in a Patient Treated with Thalidomide for Multiple Myeloma

Case Report

Korean J Hematol 2005;40(3):188-191.

Published online: 21 September 2005

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5045/kjh.2005.40.3.188

A Case of Extramedullary Progression Despite of Serologic Improvement in a Patient Treated with Thalidomide for Multiple Myeloma

Young Jin Yuh, M.D.¹, Hyun Su Kim, M.D.¹, Young Jung Park, M.D.¹, Heung Sik Um, M.D.¹, Sang Bong Choi, M.D.¹, Ban Suck Lee, M.D.¹, Sung Rok Kim, M.D.¹, Tae Hee Han, M.D.²

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Sanggyepaik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

²Department of Laboratory Medicine, Sanggyepaik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence to: Young Jin Yuh, M.D. Department of Internal Medicine, Sanggyepaik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine 761-1 Sanggye 7-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul 139-707, Korea Tel: +82-2-950-1460, Fax: +82-2-950-1955 E-mail: yjyuh@sanggyepaik.ac.kr

Received 17 August 2005 Revised 12 September 2005 Accepted 12 September 2005

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Thalidomide is an anti-angiogenic agent widely used in patients with multiple myeloma. The response to therapy is commonly monitored using serum and/or urine M protein, as these are known to reflect the tumor burden. Although extramedullary plasmacytomas are tissues with high neovascularization, it has been suggested in some reports that the response to thalidomide in these patients may be inferior, despite changes in the serum M protein level. Herein, we report the case of a patient who newly developed hepatosplenic extramedullary plasmacytoma, despite reduction in the serum M protein level following thalidomide treatment.

Keywords: Thalidomide, Multiple myeloma, Extramedullary plasmacytoma

REFERENCES

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Fig. 1.

Abdominal CT. There is a hepatosplenomegaly. The length of spleen is 20cm. There were multiple lymph nodes enlargement (from several mm to 5cm in diameter) in the porta hepatis and common hepatic portocaval area.

Fig. 2.

Bone marrow biopsy specimen. (A) H&E stain × 1,000, (B) CD38 stain × 1,000, (C) Kappa stain × 1,000, (D) lambda stain × 1,000.

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