Light-chain Disease

doi:10.1059/0003-4819-65-3-471

Light-chain Disease

An Abortive Variant of Multiple Myeloma

Requests for reprints should be addressed to Ralph C. Williams, Jr., M.D.,
Box 442, University Hospital, Minneapolis, Minn. 55455
.

Excerpt

Twenty-one per cent of 110 myeloma patients studied showed relative hypogammaglobulinemia by ordinary electrophoresis. Nine of ten living patients showed marked elevations of free serum L-chains (see Table 1) predominantly of one major L-chain type. Myeloma patients with sharp serum M-components also showed free serum L-chains and in 11%, concentrations of the same order of magnitude as was the case in the hypogammaglobulinemic patients. Attempts to detect the presence of small quantities of whole 7S myeloma protein by Gm character, immunologic deficiency, or H-chain subgrouping of gamma globulin fractions of hypogammaglobulinemic sera were generally unsuccessful. Two of ten patients studied

Acknowledgments

The authors are most grateful to Dr. B. J. Kennedy for supplying clinical data and serum samples on many of the living myeloma patients studied. We are indebted to Drs. A. G. Steinberg, S. D. Litwin, and H. G. Kunkel for various Gm typing reagents, and to Dr. W. D. Terry for H-chain typing of some myeloma samples. Cordial thanks go to Mrs. M. Boxmeyer and Miss J. Emmons for technical assistance, and to Mrs. F. Weinhold for secretarial help.

Summario in Interlingua

Vinti-un pro cento de un aggregato de 110 patientes con myeloma studiate manifestava hypogammaglobulinemia relative in electrophorese ordinari. Novem ex dece patientes qui vive manifestava marcate elevationes seral de libere catenas L, predominantemente de un sol typo de catena L. Patientes con myeloma qui habeva un forte presentia seral de componente M etiam manifestava elevationes seral de libere catenas L, e in 11 pro cento iste elevationes esseva del mesme ordine de magnitude como in le patientes hypogammaglobulinemic. Effortios de deteger le presentia de micre quantitates de integre proteina myelomatic 7S per le character Gm, per carentia immunologic, o per subgruppamento de catena H de fractiones de globulina γ de seros hypogammaglobulinemic esseva generalmente insuccessose. Duo de dece patientes studiate provideva evidentia de oligoquantitates de componente M con un fundo de globulina γ de character normal. Hypogammaglobulinemic myeloma multiplice—clinicamente simile al usual spectro morbide de myeloma multiplice—reflecte possibilemente un effortio abortive al synthese de integre proteina myelomatic o etiam un suppression selective del concomitante synthese monoclonal de catena H.

Article and Author Information

From the Arthritis Unit, Department of Medicine, and Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
This study was supported in part by grant AM 07372, U. S. Public Health Service, Bethesda, Md., and by a grant from the Minnesota Arthritis Foundation.
- Received March 14, 1966.
- Accepted May 2, 1966.