Long-term survival of a patient with multiple myeloma--a cure? A case report.

Multiple myeloma is a disease characterized by the proliferation of malignant plasma cells, the over-production of a monoclonal immunoglobulin (paraprotein) and the subsequent depression of the other normal immunoglobulins. Whereas many patients respond to treatment and enter a plateau phase of variable duration, these patients eventually die of their disease. This report describes a patient with Stage III multiple myeloma diagnosed in 1966 and now with documentation of prolonged disease-free survival and perhaps cure, with the patient presently alive and well without evidence of disease.