Amyloid tumor. A clinicopathologic study of four cases.

Four examples of amyloid tumors were studied to determine whether there was an association with myelomatosis. Three patients had follow-up examinations of 12 years, 9 years, and 2 1/2 years, respectively. A local recurrence developed in one patient and a second lesion developed in this patient and in one other who also had a transient monoclonal 7S globulin peak. In spite of these findings, none of our patients developed myelomatosis. A study of the scanty literature on amyloid tumors reveals that only patients with lesions of the lung and urinary bladder have had long-term follow-up. They have invariably remained free of disease. Several reports of bone lesions have inferred that amyloid tumors occurring here signify solitary myeloma despite a lack of follow-up confirmation. Our longest surviving patient developed two bone lesions over a 12-year period without developing myelomatosis. Our findings lead us to conclude that there is little evidence to regard the presence of an amyloid tumor at any site as a manifestation of solitary myeloma or myelomatosis.