Clinical Efficacy of Bortezomib Based Therapy in Plasma Cell Leukemias.

IntroductionPlasma Cell Leukemia (PCL) is characterized by a high number of plasma cells in peripheral blood (>2 × 109/L) and more than 20% of circulating plasmocytes on differential count. Primary PCL or secondary form, after previous multiple myeloma (MM), represent the most aggressive forms of clonal gammapathy with very poor outcome from both conventional chemotherapy and autologous or allogeneic transplant. For this reasons new effective treatment approaches are required. The proteasome inhibitor Bortezomib has been shown to be effective in advanced MM with a rapid response but few reports have been published regarding its potential role on PCL. We report here the clinical results of a serie of PCL patients that received proteasome inhibitor, Bortezomib (Velcade®), as induction therapy.