MYELOMA STEM CELL PHENOTYPE: Implications For Treatment

摘要: The differentiation distance between the recognizable myeloma cell, of plasma cell morphology and function, its proliferative progenitor, stem is a topic continuing controversy. Myeloma cells are cells, most mature in B-lymphocyte pathway, by morphology, phenotype, function. Products these responsible for disease manifestations. Treatment designed to decrease tumor burden; treatment success judged reduction number their products, With recent innovations (discussed elsewhere this issue), considerable patients induced into complete remissions. Still, cures have not been reported. phenotypically heterogeneous. In individual patients, expressing lineage- differentiation-associated surface molecules that indicate heterogeneity stages maturation coexist. These populations also functionally heterogeneous, lending support notion end product process, whereby progenitor heretofore unrecognized, give rise terminally differentiated, nonproliferative cells. Such preplasmacytic B lymphocytes morphologically indistinguishable from normal This article discusses relevant phenotypic, functional, molecular genetic data.