Multiple myeloma--complete remission with high dose melphalan chemotherapy.

A patient with IgG3 lambda plasma cell myeloma characterized by anemia, hypercalcemia, hypoalbuminemia, renal insufficiency, osteolytic bone lesions, and serum and urinary light chains inadvertently received a dose of intravenous melphalan considerably greater than standard. A complete remission ensued characterized by normal protein and bone marrow studies. Healing of bone lesions occurred. This and two somewhat similar happenstances producing rare complete remissions in myeloma may have significant chemotherapeutic ramifications.