A 65-year-old Female With a Rapidly Growing Painless Occipital Mass Encircling the Foramen Magnum

Abstract

Solitary plasmacytoma of bone is a rare disorder accounting for 5-10% of plasma cell dyscrasias with most patients progressing to myeloma. Here the authors present a case of a 65-year-old female who presented with a hard occipital lump. An MRI demonstrated extensive mass distortion of the right cerebellar hemisphere. This was biopsied showing a cluster of plasma cells with discohesive, monomorphic cells, cytoplasmic clearing or hoff, and characteristic clock-face nuclei. The patient had no symptoms other than neck pain, headaches and the hard occipital mass. Solitary plasmacytoma of bone is only diagnosed where there is no evidence to support myeloma as a diagnosis, and investigations are tailored towards this. Radiotherapy is the mainstay of treatment and patients should be monitored for the development of myeloma.




J Med Cases. 2013;4(2):83-85
doi: https://doi.org/10.4021/jmc934w