抄録
During 17 years from 1950 through 1966 we have experienced 22 cases of multiple myeloma which were confirmed by post mortem examination, tumor biopsy, bone marrow puncture and serum protein fraction by electrophoresis. Among them male cases were 14 and female were 8. They were all above fourth decade except one 29-year-old male and mostly between sixth and seventh decade.
Initial symtoms and signs were mostly lumbago, backache and headache, then general malaise, palpitation and tinnitis etc. due to anemia. Some cases had had chief complaints of nausea, blurred vision and hemorrhagic tendency.
R. B. C. were 2 to 3 million/ccm in male and 1 to 2 million/ccm in female. W. B. C. ware 2, 000 to 6, 000/ccm, in which lymphopenia, granulocytosis and below 1 to 2% of plasma cells in peripheral blood, , except of one case who had 12%, whereas plasma cells in bone marrow varied between 3 to 98%. Serum protein were 5.0 to 14.0g% with 7.3 to 84.0% of γ-globulin.
E. S. R. were usually accelerated over 100mm in one hour.
Albuminuria were found in 16 cases with 7 cases of positive Bence-Jones protein.
E. K. G. revealed non-specific ST, T change generally, but few cases showed A-V conduction defect and arrhythmia, which would be caused by “Myocardose” due to abnormal protein.
Chest X-ray findings frequently showed increased bronchial trees and pneumonia, that reflect decreased resistance against infection. In addition, X-ray examination revealed masses from ribs, sternum or other bones in 4 cases. Skull X-ray showed punched-out in 17 cases.
Ten cases had been treated by adrenocortico-steroid hormones that was apparently effective in life extension, as compared with the other 12 cases who did not received steroids and died within 60 days of admission, while the group received steroids lived more than 100 days with tendency of longer life as much as the amount of steroids. At present one case has been living over 700 days.
We experienced 22 cases of multiple myeloma and described their clinical findings.
