Plasma cell neoplasms

Plasma cell neoplasms encompass a spectrum of diseases related to clonal expansion of neoplastic plasma cells and/or their precursors. These include essential monoclonal gammopathy, plasma cell myeloma, solitary plasmacytoma of bone or soft tissue, primary amyloidosis and immunoglobulin chain deposition diseases. Plasma cell myeloma is the prototype of a plasma cell neoplasm that occurs as generalized disease involving primarily bone marrow with associated serum monoclonal protein and lytic bone lesions. This review first focuses primarily on plasma cell myeloma and its variants, and then discusses other plasma cell neoplasms.