Successful treatment of extramedullary gastric plasmacytoma with the combination of bortezomib and dexamethasone: First reported case

We report a case of a 68-year-old man presented with upper-gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopy showed a large ulcerated gastric mass. Histological examination of the gastric biopsies revealed a k monoclonal extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP). Further staging was negative for multiple myeloma. The patient was managed with bortezomib at a dose of 1.3 mg/m(2) on days 1, 4, 8 and 11 of a 21-day cycle in combination with dexamethasone 20 mg p.o. on days 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 11, 12 of each cycle. After 4 cycles of treatment, no endoscopic or histological findings of EMP were found. Thirteen months after diagnosis the patient is in complete remission with no evidence of local relapse or evolution to multiple myeloma. This is the first reported case of EMP successfully managed with the combination of bortezomib and dexamethasone. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.