Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Pathophysiol. May 15, 2017; 8(2): 93-95
Published online May 15, 2017. doi: 10.4291/wjgp.v8.i2.93
Duodenal localization of plasmablastic myeloma
Stefano Licci
Stefano Licci, Department of Pathology, Santo Spirito Hospital, 00193 Rome, Italy
Author contributions: Licci S made the histological diagnosis, reviewed the literature and conceived and wrote the case report.
Institutional review board statement: This case report was exempt from the institutional review board standards at Santo Spirito Hospital (Rome, Italy).
Informed consent statement: The patient involved in this study gave her written informed consent authorizing use and disclosure of her protected health information.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Stefano Licci, MD, Department of Pathology, Santo Spirito Hospital, Lungotevere in Sassia 1, 00193 Rome, Italy. stefano.licci@hotmail.it
Telephone: +39-6-68352585 Fax: +39-6-68352491
Received: November 4, 2016
Peer-review started: November 5, 2016
First decision: December 29, 2016
Revised: January 27, 2017
Accepted: March 12, 2017
Article in press: March 13, 2017
Published online: May 15, 2017
Abstract

Gastrointestinal involvement in plasma cell neoplasms, either as primary localizations (extramedullary plasmacytomas) or as secondary involvement in systemic multiple myeloma, is a well-known event. Accurate histological examination is crucial in defining the diagnosis. In this report, an uncommon case of duodenal localization of myeloma with plasmablastic features is described, with emphasis on the role of clinical data and findings from ancillary immunostaining techniques to avoid misdiagnosis.

Keywords: Gastrointestinal tract, Myeloma, Plasma cell neoplasm, Plasmablastic, Duodenum

Core tip: In cases of gastrointestinal involvement by high-grade plasma cell neoplasia, the presence of large atypical cells infiltrating the lamina propria of the mucosa may lead to an erroneous diagnosis of poorly differentiated carcinoma. Clinical data and findings from ancillary immunostaining techniques are crucial to avoid misdiagnosis.