Hepatic failure due to CD3+ plasma cell infiltration of the liver in multiple myeloma.

We present a case of multiple myeloma who died of liver failure 7.5 months after initial diagnosis. Postmortem liver biopsy revealed diffuse CD3-expressing plasma cell infiltration and eosinophilic amorphous material deposition which was considered as light chain deposits. T cell receptor-gamma rearrangement was not detected in liver biopsy sections using the polymerase chain reaction despite CD3 positivity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of CD3-expressing plasma cell infiltration in tissue sections. The discordance between the phenotype and the genotype suggests a partial activation of genes encoding the T cell antigens by the transforming event. We also concluded that CD3 positivity was associated with short survival, which is consistent with previous data. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel