Multiple myeloma manifesting as an ocular salmon patch – a case report

ABSTRACT

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most prevalent hematologic malignancy after non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is currently considered incurable. Clinical ophthalmic manifestations of MM are rare but at the same time diverse. Ocular surface manifestations of multiple myeloma are uncommon.

Conjunctival ‘salmon patch’ is a typical ocular surface ophthalmological sign with a distinct set of differential diagnoses, including most often ocular adnexal lymphoma.

This case report presents a 33-year-old female with a relapse of MM manifesting as a conjunctival ‘salmon patch’. The patient initially responded well to medical management including high dose melphalan supported by a third autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and did not require further surgical excision of the ocular lesion. It is suggested that MM should be included in the differential diagnosis of ‘salmon patch’ conjunctival lesions.

KEYWORDS:

• Multiple myeloma
• orbital
• plasmacytoma
• salmon patch

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.