Case 18

Discussion:

Solitary plasmacytoma is an uncommon tumor occurring in 3-7 percent of patients with plasma cell neoplasms. Often the lesion is present for manyyears as an isolated lesion, but on occasion multiple plasmacytomas can develop. An association with multiple myeloma exists, but plasmacytoma can precede laboratory evidence of multiple myeloma for many years. The tumors are often expansile, showing low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images, and can involve the entire vertebral body.  However, these imaging characteristics are nonspecific.

References:

• Galieni P, Cavo M, Avvisati G, et al. Solitary plasmacytoma of bone and extramedullary plasmacytoma: two different entities? Ann Oncol 1995;6:687 -691
• Cervoni L, Celli P, Salvati M, Tarantino R, Fortuna A. Solitary plasmacytoma of the spine: relationship of IGM to tumour progression and recurrence. Acta Neurochir 1995;135:122 -125
• Chak L, Cox R, Bostwick D, Hoppe R. Solitary plasmacytoma of bone: treatment, progression, and survival. J Clin Oncol 1987;5:1811 -1815
• McLain R, Weinstein J. Solitary plasmacytomas of the spine: a review of 84 cases. J Spinal Disord 1989;2:69 -74