Surgical resection of a solitary plasmacytoma originating in a rib

Abstract

Plasma cell neoplasms can present as a single lesion (solitary plasmacytoma) or as multiple lesions (multiple myeloma). Solitary plasmacytoma is a rare plasma cell neoplasm. There are 2 separate entities, dependent on the location of the lesion originating in either bone or extramedullary soft tissue. It is defined as a proliferation of monoclonal plasma cells without evidence of significant bone-marrow plasma-cell infiltration. We present a 71-year-old woman who was diagnosed with a solitary plasmacytoma of the bone located in the right third rib after surgical resection. A chest roentgenogram showed a solitary expanding lesion in the right third rib. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed an osteolytic chest wall tumor. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and CT (PET-CT) showed no abnormal uptake in the whole body, except for the third rib lesion. The patient underwent complete en-bloc resection of the chest wall including ribs, muscle, and parietal pleura. The patient is asymptomatic without any recurrence after one and a half years of follow up.