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Updated: Dec 30, 2025
Interphase Fluorescence in situ Hybridization of Bone Marrow Smears of Multiple Myeloma
Published on: April 15, 2022
Multiple myeloma with CD138 changed from positive to negative: A case report
Jianlin Yu1, Liming Tan1, Qiong Wu1
1Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Background:
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a common malignant disease of the blood system, caused by the neoplastic proliferation of plasma cells that accumulate in bone marrow (BM). Here, we report a case of MM patient with CD138 marker changed from positive to negative.
Methods:
BM and peripheral blood samples from a 48-year-old patient with MM were examined and analyzed by conventional morphology, flow cytometry, and immunodetection.
Results:
Imaging examination and clinical manifestations fulfilled criteria for MM. On the first hospitalization, flow cytometry showed that the cells were CD138+ /CD38+ /CD19- /CD56+ . However, on the fifth hospitalization, flow cytometry revealed that the cells were CD138- /CD38+ /CD19- /CD56+ .
Conclusions:
MM is diagnosed on imaging and clinical manifestations, immunophenotype of flow cytometry is also an important method of diagnosing MM. However, the discovery of atypical immunophenotypes cannot prevent the diagnosis of MM, even provide a clue of disease progression.
