5 CASES OF NONSECRETORY MULTIPLE-MYELOMA

Five out of sixty-nine patients with Multiple Myeloma (MM) were diagno sed during the last ten years with Nonsecretory Multiple Myeloma (NSM) , a rare type of MM. In those patients, M-paraprotein was not detectab le in their serum or urine. Apart from bone marrow plasmacytosis all h ad a marked depression of normal immunoglobins and bone lytic lesions, One patient (Case I) had anaplastic myeloma, which is the most aggres sive type of myeloma. Two patients (Case I and II) had clinical sympto ms of hypercalcemia at the time of diagnosis. These cases IgG-kappa an d another (Case V), had IgG-gamma light chains in cytoplasma of plasma cells. Four patients received traditional therapy with melphalan-pred nisone and the patient with anaplastic myeloma received VAD (Vincristi ne Adriamycin and Dexamethasone). All responsed to therapy - except th e patient with anaplastic myeloma who died eight months later - and ar e alive in partial remission from 1 to 4 years.