Heavy chain loss after treatment with melphalan in a patient with ?nonsecretory? myeloma

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Abstract
A case of “nonsecretory” myeloma is described. The patient had typical osteolytic lesions and marked infiltration of myeloma cells in the bone marrow, and plasma cell leukemia. A good partial remission was obtained with Melphalan, but the patient relapsed and died one year later. Immunofluorescent and immunoelectroscopic studies on the myeloma cells demonstrated the presence of cytoplasmic γ-and κ-chains at the initial stage and of only κ-chains at a relapse. The electron microscopic method for polysome analysis indicated that both L-and H-chains were synthesized on membrane-bound polysomes initially, but the ability to produce H-chain was missing at the relapse.