Diagnosing Multiple Myeloma and Related Disorders

This review provides current information on myeloma-related disorders, a group of plasma cell or immunoglobulin (Ig) secreting neoplasms including multiple myeloma, extramedullary plasmacytoma (both cutaneous and noncutaneous variants), solitary osseous plasmacytoma, Waldenström macroglobulinemia/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, Ig-secretory B-cell lymphoma, plasma cell leukemia, and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. The diagnostic procedures commonly used to characterize myeloma-related disorders, including cytopathology, histopathology, polymerase chain reaction for antigen receptor rearrangement, flow cytometry, and electrophoretic techniques are outlined and discussed.