DIAGNOSIS, RISK-STRATIFICATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF SOLITARY PLASMACYTOMA

Plasma cell dyscrasias include a wide variety of diseases characterized by the abnormal accumulation of plasma cells resulting in various systemic symptoms and signs. Plasma cells are usually widespread throughout the bone marrow; however, in a minority of patients malignant plasma cells may form a single lesion. These lesions are usually confined to the bone and, less frequently, in extramedullary sites. They are composed of monoclonal plasma cells that are otherwise identical to plasma cells found in myeloma. However, these patients do not have evidence of systemic multiple myeloma (MM), and an extensive work up shows no other foci of disease. When this solitary lesion is confined to bone it is characterized as a solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP) while when this lesion is confined to extraosseous sites it is characterized as a solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma (SEP).