Multiple myeloma is a malignant neoplasm of plasma cells involving mainly bone and
bone marrow and is characterized by unbalanced proliferation of a clone of B-
lymphocyte-derived ce11s. In order to predict the clinical course and prognosis of
disease, many efforts have been tried through the clinical and morphological aspects.
The authors analyzed fourty cases of multiple myeloma from March, 1978 to
September, 1987 at Han Yang University Hospital to estimate correlation between
morphology and prognosis.
The following results were obtained :
1. Multiple myeloma could be classified in to 5 types morphologically, e.g., type 1
(typical mature plasma cell type), typg 2(small mature plasma cell type), type 3
(polymorphous type), type 4(asynchronous type), type 5(blastic type), and their dis-
tributions were 31.6%(12 cases), 15.8% (6 cases), 28.9%(11 cases), 18.4%(7 cases), 5.3%
(2 cases), respectively.
2. Infiltrating patterns of multiple myeloma in the bone marrow showed 37%(10 cases)
of interstitial pattern, 29.6% (8 cases) of interstitial and nodular pattern, and 33.3% (9
cases) of packed marrow pattern.
3. Clinical stages were as follows: stage Ⅰ, 15%(6 cases), stage Ⅱ, 20%(8 cases); and
stage Ⅲ, 65% (26 cases). Renal impairments(creatinine level is greater than 2mg/dl)
were observed in 42,5% (17 cases).
4. The prognosis of type 1,2 and 3 was relatively good but that of type 4 and 5 was
poor.
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