Histologic evidence of an abnormal bone remodeling in B-cell malignancies other than multiple myeloma

In a prospective study of the quantitative bone changes induced by B-cell cancers other than multiple myeloma (MM), but including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL; n = 8), hairy cell leukemia (HCL; n = 3), and Waldenström disease (WD; n = 7), an abnormal bone remodeling close to malignant cells was found in 80% of the patients. This was observed more frequently in cases of diffuse, but not nodular, bone marrow involvement by tumor cells. More particularly, excessive bone resorption (a major feature of MM) associated with a normal to low bone formation (i.e., uncoupling bone disease) was the most frequent feature and in the same range of that observed in overt MM. However, as opposed to MM, this bone resorption was characteristically mediated by small mononucleated osteoclasts (i.e., microresorption). The same phenomena of abnormal bone remodeling, the uncoupling process, excessive bone resorption, and above all microresorption were confirmed by the detailed bone study of five cases of B-cell cancers other than MM presenting lytic bone lesions and hypercalcemia. The current findings are important for clarifying the biology of these B-cell malignant diseases, and also could be of diagnostic and prognostic value.