The sensitivity of CD138 immunostaining of bone marrow trephine specimens for quantifying marrow involvement in MGUS and myeloma, including samples with a low percentage of plasma cells

Abstract

Accurate quantification of plasma cells in bone marrow samples is essential for the diagnosis, classification and prognosis of plasma-cell dyscrasias. Published comparisons between aspirate/trephine morphology, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry are lacking. Bone marrow plasma cells from 100 patients with plasma cell myeloma or monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance were quantified by a 500-cell differential count on Romanowsky-stained aspirate slides, flow-cytometry gating of CD38bright+/CD138+ cells, hematoxylin and eosin trephine section examination and CD138 trephine immunohistology. The results of quantification by the different methods were compared. Compared to other ..