Abstract
Multiple myeloma typically presents with monoclonal proteinemia, marrow plasmacytosis, anemia, bony involvement, hypercalcemia and renal insufficiency. Less frequent presentations include hepatic and splenic enlargement (5% of cases), lymphadenopathy (4%) and biclonal gammopathy (1%). Chemotherapy may produce remissions in 50% of cases, but relapses are the rule and mean survival is approximately 2.5 years. To improve survival, marrow transplantation is being explored as a therapeutic modality in younger patients. In this report we describe a unique case of multiple myeloma presenting clinically as lymphoma. The patient presented with fever, widespread lymphadenopathy and pleuropulmonary involvement and responded promptly to multiagent doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. This was followed by high-dose chemotherapy and allogeneic bone marrow transplantation and the patient remains in remission more than 36 months post transplant. This case report suggests that myeloma simulating lymphoma may be a chemosensitive and potentially curable myeloma variant.