[Metastases in peripheral lymph nodes as the first sign of anaplastic skeletal plasmacytoma--2 case reports].

The paper discusses two unusual cases of solitary skeletal plasmacytoma and multiple myeloma presenting clinically as a metastatic disease in cervical lymph nodes. The pathology report of lymph node plasmacytoma initiated an extensive clinical search for eventual discovery of skeletal disease in both patients. We are not aware of any report in the literature dealing with this issue (Medline 1970-2000). The early involvement of lymph nodes by plasmacytoma with the appearance of undifferentiated neoplasm is challenging and poses great difficulties in correct diagnosis; this is almost impossible from hematoxylin eosin slides. The problem is that one has to think about the rare possibility of metastasing plasmacytoma in differential diagnosis of anaplastic tumors in lymph nodes. Immunohistochemistry and clinical records are very helpful in making a final diagnosis.