Clinical analysis of the prognostic value of ultrastructural abnormalitiesof plasma cells in patients with multiple myeloma

The prognostic value of ultrastructural abnormalities of plasma cells was a nalyzed in 61 patients with multiple myeloma treated in our hospitals from 1985 to 1996. The survival curves demonstrated significant differences by s tratification of ultrastructural abnormalities, such as irregular contour o f the nuclear membrane, nuclear body, budding, disarrangement of organelles , fibrillar formation, intramitochondrial granules, multilamellar body, sin gle-sac loop-like structure, and vacuole. However, categorizing by nuclear inclusion body, cytoplasmic inclusion body and dense body showed no signifi cant difference in survival curves. Abnormalities, as well as maturity, may be useful in predicting the prognosis of myeloma patients.