IHere is a question I posed on the ACOR and MMA lists. Is it normal for a healthy person without MM t to have plasma cells in their bone marrow?
We have gotten conflicting information from two oncologists about the significance of the small amount (less than 5% according to the latest BMB lab report, although the oncologist's assessessment of the slides was less than 1 %) of plasma cells in my husband's bone marrow.
One says that amount of plasma cells is normal. The other says no plasma
cells will be present in a healthy person's bone marrow. Which is the truth?
 Also, the BMB report says that the plasma cells examined are polyclonal; the UK onc says that there is no real way for them to know if they are monoclonal or polyclonal.
Thanks for any insight. Lisa
Lisa,
I believe that it IS entirely normal for the bone marrow to show anywhere from near zero up to 1 or 2% plasma cells. Even more if the person's immune system has recently fought off an infection or other threat.
When they do my BMB here in the Twin Cities, I get two numbers back for plasma cells: (1) A machine count of plasma cells, which includes the monoclonal ones, and (2) the pathologist's guesstimate of the "abnormal cohort," which I believe is the monoclonal cells and is a smaller number. Some time back, the machine count was 6.8% and the pathologist estimated 4% were abnormal. Of course when my count reaches very high numbers, it will be almost entirely abnormal.
I actually asked the pathologist about this one time (he was doing the BMB procedure) and he said that he just looks at it and makes an estimate for the abnormal cohort.
THanks so much for this clarification. It seems to fit with the other feedback I've gotten. I have to look at our lab reports again when we get them back.Â
 I get so frustrated when basic facts seem to be in dispute between doctors!
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