The authors discuss the prognostic impact of immunophenotyping of circulating lymphoplasmatic cells in the peripheral blood stream in patients with generalized plasmocytoma. From a group of 250 patients followed up from 1981 to 1991 they selected a sub-group of 70 patients where they evaluated in 1986-1991 after six-month intervals the phenotype of medullary and circulating cells. They used the method of immunofluorescent detection of the presence of cytoplasmic Ig, the kappa-lambda index and phenotyping of antigens CD 9, CD 10, CD 20, CD 38, HLA-DR by monoclonal antibodies. In a longitudinal investigation of the survival period they revealed that the finding of circulating cells with signs of non-differentiation (presence of antigen CD 10 detected by antibody CALLA, presence of antigens B 1 (CD 20), CD 9 on circulating lymphocytes) has a prognostic meaning suggesting shorter survival. There was a direct correlation between the increase of CALLA positive cells and CD 9 positive cells. The authors found also that release of the clonus with signs of immaturity was present when the disease developed into the aggressive stage. While the group of 250 patients had according to statistical analyses, when treated according to protocol VMCP/MOCCA, a median survival of 90 months, the median survival of the aggressive stage (with the plasmoblast and lymphoplasmocytic type resp.) was only 12 months. The authors emphasize the prognostic importance of immunological typing of heterogeneous plasmocytoma populations.

Keywords: Adult; Aged; Bone Marrow /immunology/; Female; Humans; Immunophenotyping; Lymphocyte Subsets; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Myeloma /diagnosis/; Plasmacytoma /diagnosis/; Prognosis