MULTIPLE MYELOMA: A HISTOLOGICAL COMPARISON OF SIX CASES

A histological study of six cases of myeloma shows a striking similarity of cell structure with differences of minor degree. The common characteristics of the cells are a finely granular, slightly basophilic cytoplasm, an eccentrically placed nucleus, a nucleolus, centrosomes, a nuclear membrane and a tendency to mural arrangement of the chromatin. With these characteristics there is a greater resemblance of the tumor cells to bone marrow plasma cells than to myelocytes. In most of the cases reported by other observers the cells show these characteristics and these tumors form a group within which the cells of individual cases show no greater variation than occurs in other tumor groups.