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Plasma Cell Leukemia

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Biology and Management of Unusual Plasma Cell Dyscrasias

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Abstract

Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a rare and aggressive form of multiple myeloma (MM). It is characterized by the presence of a large number of circulating clonal plasma cells. It is comprised of two forms: (1) primary PCL (pPCL) which originate de novo with no prior history of MM and (2) secondary PCL (sPCL) where patients with a prior history of MM develop a leukemic phase of their MM. The natural history of either form of PCL is quite aggressive compared with MM. The incorporation of novel agent therapies and high-dose chemotherapy followed by stem cell rescue has made modest improvement in survival outcomes of patients with PCL over the last decade. Future, clinical trials incorporating various combinations of novel and experimental therapeutics are still warranted for the management of this disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Wilson I. Gonsalves MD & Shaji K. Kumar MD

Authors
  1. Wilson I. Gonsalves MD
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  2. Shaji K. Kumar MD
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Correspondence to Wilson I. Gonsalves MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Hematology/Oncology MC2115, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

    Todd M. Zimmerman

  2. Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Shaji K. Kumar

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Gonsalves, W.I., Kumar, S.K. (2017). Plasma Cell Leukemia. In: Zimmerman, T., Kumar, S. (eds) Biology and Management of Unusual Plasma Cell Dyscrasias. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6848-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6848-7_1

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