Intracranial Involvement by Plasma Cell Neoplasms.

OBJECTIVES

Intracranial plasma cell neoplasms (PCNs) arising from the skull, dura, or brain parenchyma are rare tumors and there is only a limited experience in the literature with these lesions.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective clinicopathologic study of fourteen cases of intracranial PCN at our institution encountered over a 26-year-period.

RESULTS

The fourteen patients ranged in age from 30-74 years (median 66 years) and included seven males. For eight patients, their intracranial lesions were the initial presentation of multiple myeloma (MM). Three patients had prior history of MM; their intracranial tumors showed blastic plasma cell morphology, and all three died secondary to MM. The remaining three patients did not or have not developed MM.

CONCLUSIONS

PCNs rarely arise in the intracranial compartment. Intracranial PCN may be the initial presentation of MM. Anecdotally, blastic morphology appears to manifest more aggressive behavior.