Plasmacytoma in nasal cavity and maxillary sinus

Summary The interrelationship of extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP), solitary myeloma of bone (SMB), and multiple myeloma (MM) is unknown. Some authors think that they represent no more than a spectrum of plasma cell tumors; others think that they are completely different entities.We have encountered three cases of plasmacytoma in the head and neck region in the past 5 years. One was present in the nasal cavity and the other two in the maxillary sinus. The former seemed to be secondary to an EMP of 10 years' duration and the latter two, secondary to a MM of 1 or 2 years' duration.We compared these cases clinically and concluded that the plasmacytoma in the nasal cavity was a transitional form of EMP to MM and was responsive to radiation and surgery just as ordinary EMPs occurring in the head and neck region were. The other plasmacytomas in the maxillary sinus appeared secondary to the MM and were not responsive to any treatment.From these facts, the plasmacytoma occurring in the head and neck region secondary to an EMP elsewhere should be treated locally and differently from those originating from MM for which systemic treatment should be started from the beginning.