Clinicopathological Profile of Myelomatous Pleural Effusion: Single-center Real-world Experience and Review of Literature

Background

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy of plasma cell origin. MM primarily affects bone marrow, but extramedullary sites can also be involved. Myelomatous pleural effusion (MPE) is an atypical and rare complication of MM. We aimed to systematically study the incidence and clinicopathologic profile of patients with MPE in a real-world setting.

Patients and Methods

In this retrospective study, 415 consecutive patients with MM managed at a tertiary care center in North India during a study period of January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015 were evaluated for MPE. The patients with MPE were analyzed for their clinical profile, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.

Results

Of these 415 patients, 11 (2.65%) patients had MPE. The median age of the study population was 50 years with male preponderance. The majority of these patients had immunoglobin (Ig)G Kappa disease. All patients had higher than International Staging System stage I disease. MPE was a presenting feature at MM diagnosis in 45.45% (n = 5) of the patients, whereas the rest developed MPE during follow-up. MPE presented predominantly (81.8%) as a unilateral effusion. Concurrent extramedullary involvement at other site was seen in 45.45% (n = 5), with 3 (27%) patients having concurrent myelomatous ascites. Six of these were managed aggressively, whereas 5 patients opted for palliation. The outcomes were dismal (90.9% mortality), with a median survival of 2.47 months.

Conclusion

MPE is a rare entity, and positive outcomes of therapy remain low with dismal prognosis.