Splenic Aspirations in Multiple Myeloma

1. Splenic aspirations were performed in ten consecutive patients with multiple myeloma, in only three of whom the spleen was palpable.

2. In nine of the ten patients there was an increase of the percentage of myeloma cells in the splenic aspirations comparable to that in the marrow.

3. It is postulated that these findings support the concept of multiple myeloma as a generalized hematopoietic disease comparable to the leukemias.