Clinical And Molecular Characterization Of Primary Plasma Cell Leukemia

Primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL) is a rare form of multiple myeloma (MM) that is characterized by aggressive behavior and short overall survival (OS) despite significant improvement in anti-MM therapy. Due to its low incidence of 1-2% of all MM patients, most previous studies reported only on a small number of pPCL patients and the physiopathology as well as best treatment approaches remain unclear. In order to improve outcome in this patient population it will be necessary to evaluate molecular mechanisms underlying pPCL, which could potentially serve as therapeutic targets. The goal of the present study was to address clinical parameters and survival in pPCL patients. We further analyzed molecular characteristics by gene expression analysis and exome sequencing with the aim to detect distinct markers in pPCL.