Chest
Volume 64, Issue 2, August 1973, Pages 246-248
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Pleural Effusion Due to Multiple Myeloma

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CASE REPORT

A 56-year-old white woman was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic Hospital in August 1971, because of progressive shortness of breath and cough for seven days.

Multiple myeloma was diagnosed by bone marrow examination in May 1967. At that time the patient had pain in her ribs and coughing after exercise. Results of physical examination were normal. Roentgenograms between April and July 1967 demonstrated multiple lytic lesions of the ribs, spine, skull, pelvis, and femurs. The white blood count was

COMMENTS

Extraosseous involvement in multiple myeloma was first reported by Kudrewetzky1 in 1892. The reported incidence of soft tissue plasmacytoma varies. Hayes and co-workers2 reported extramedullary plasmacytoma in 71 percent of their cases of multiple myeloma, and Churg and Gordon3 reported soft tissue involvement in 73 percent of their cases. Multiple myeloma occurs most frequently in the skull, spine, ribs, and pelvis. Solitary lesions are rare and usually become multiple before death.4

Pulmonary

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  • Myelomatous pleural effusion-A case report

    2012, Respiratory Medicine Case Reports
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    The development of extramedullary plasmacytomas (EMPs) in the context of pre-existing multiple myeloma occurs infrequently with only 5% of patients with EMPs having coexisting multiple myeloma.8,9 Pleural involvement in multiple myeloma, as demonstrated in our case, is all the more unusual.10 In a review of English literature, only 10 cases have been described previously, (to the best of our knowledge).9–18

  • Lambda light chain multiple myeloma presenting as pleural mass

    2011, Respiratory Medicine CME
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    Multiple myeloma is usually restricted to the bone and bone marrow and extramedullary involvement in multiple myeloma is rare, usually involving the nasopharynx, upper respiratory tract, or gastrointestinal tract.2–5 The pleural involvement is even more rare in multiple myeloma.6,7 Here, we are presenting a case of lambda light chain multiple myeloma, in which the malignant plasma cells had disseminated to the pleura and presented as pleural mass.

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Fellow, Division of Medicine, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Head, Department of Pulmonary Disease, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

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