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13.4: Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia

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    38845
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    Features:

    Commonly characterized by an IgM monoclonal gammopathy. Increased igM may also result in cryoglobulinemia. Deposits of IgM into tissues and organs can result in intestinal dysfunction, clotting, and neuropathic complications.1

    Cause:1,2

    Genetic mutations

    Inherited associations

    Following viral infections (e.g. Hepatitis C).

    Age Group Affected: 60-70 years old, slightly more predominant in males.1,2

    Laboratory Results for Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia:1,2

    CBC:

    WBC: Increased (But lower than CLL)

    PBS:

    Increased number of small lymphocytes and maybe plasmacytoid lymphocytes.

    BM:

    Infiltration of small lymphocytes

    Variable number of plasma cells and plasmacytoid lymphocytes.

    Immunologic Markers:

    CD19, CD20, CD22, CD25, CD27, CD38, CD79a

    Other Tests:

    Monoclonal Paraprotein IgM: Positive

     

    References:

    1. Swerdlow SH, Campo E, Harris NL, Jaffe ES, Pileri SA, Stein H, et al. editors. WHO Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues Volume 2. 4th ed. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC); 2008.

    2. Yun S, Johnson AC, Okolo ON, Arnold SJ, McBride A, Zhang L, et al. Waldenström Macroglobulinemia: Review of Pathogenesis and Management. Clin Lymphoma, Myeloma Leuk [Internet]. 2017 May 7 [cited 2018 Jun 27];17(5):252–62. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5413391/


    This page titled 13.4: Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Valentin Villatoro and Michelle To (Open Education Alberta) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.