Plasmacytoma as a cause of small bowel obstruction in a virgin abdomen in a patient with multiple myeloma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma is a hematological malignancy that classically results in an abnormal clonal proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Extramedullary disease in the setting of multiple myeloma, referred to as secondary extramedullary plasmacytoma, is found in 7-17% of cases of multiple myeloma at the time of diagnosis and can involve any organ system. Small bowel obstruction is a rare but important gastrointestinal manifestation of multiple myeloma that should be considered in patients with multiple myeloma who present with concerning abdominal symptoms. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 52-year-old African-American man with a history of deep venous thrombosis (he is on anticoagulation) and pathologic fracture secondary to multiple myeloma diagnosed 4 months prior to our encounter. He presented with abdominal pain, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. An abdominal X-ray showed distended bowel loops concerning for bowel obstruction and a contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of his abdomen and pelvis showed a 5.4 cm soft tissue mass involving a loop of distal ileum. He underwent laparoscopic exploration of his abdomen with small bowel resection and primary anastomosis for a small intussusception. He had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged on postoperative day 6. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple myeloma has myriad presentations. Gastrointestinal involvement, although rare, can manifest as small bowel obstruction for which early recognition and appropriate surgical management are key to improving outcome. Intussusception is the most common mechanism of obstruction from extramedullary plasmacytoma causing small bowel obstruction and this has been seen in five of six case reports, including this case. It is important to recognize and consider the risks of immunosuppression, venous thromboembolism, and malnutrition in the surgical management of gastrointestinal complications of multiple myeloma.

Cancer surgery in the elderly.

The proportions both of elderly patients in the world and of elderly patients with cancer are both increasing. In the evaluation of these patients, physiologic age, and not chronologic age, should be carefully considered in the decision-making process prior to both cancer screening and cancer treatment in an effort to avoid ageism. Many tools exist to help the practitioner determine the physiologic age of the patient, which allows for more appropriate and more individualized risk stratification, both in the pre- and postoperative periods as patients are evaluated for surgical treatments and monitored for surgical complications, respectively. During and after operations in the oncogeriatric populations, physiologic changes occuring that accompany aging include impaired stress response, increased senescence, and decreased immunity, all three of which impact the risk/benefit ratio associated with cancer surgery in the elderly.