Immunophenotypic and laboratory features of t(11;14)(q13;q32)-positive plasma cell neoplasms

Abstract

The t(11;14)(q13;32)-positive plasma cell neoplasms (PCNs) are common. In light of their lymphoplasmacytoid features and CD20 expression, we speculated that they may share laboratory features with B-cell lymphomas with plasmacytic differentiation (BCL-PCDs). We investigated flow cytometric CD19 and CD45 expression, DNA ploidy index and M-protein subtype in 416 t(11;14)-positive PCNs, as well as control groups (88 BCL-PCDs and 81 t(11;14)-negative PCNs). The plasma cells from the t(11;14)-positive PCNs were largely CD19−/CD45−, similar to the t(11;14)-negative PCNs and unlike the BCL-PCD plasma cells (p < .0001). 79% of the t(11;14)-positive PCNs were diploid, which was significantly more than in t(11;14)-negative PCNs (p < .0001) and significantly less than in the BCL-PCDs (p < .001). Although IgM secretion was common in BCL-PCDs (80%) and rare in PCNs (3%), most IgM PCNs (92%) were t(11;14)-positive. These findings may be helpful in evaluating specimens with clonal plasma cells in the reference laboratory setting.

Keywords:

• t(11;14) plasma cell neoplasm
• Myeloma
• Cytogenetics
• Lymphoma

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Michael M. Timm for the technical support and Reid G. Meyer for initial data collection.

Potential conflict of interest

Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2017.1410885.