couple of hours later, there was swelling and reddening of the margins of the ulcers, frequently accompanied by fever up to 38°C. These symptoms lasted for a few hours and subsided spontaneously or with the help of minor analgesics. The patients tolerated this inconvenience, because they soon saw a favorable response. In fact, the latter was dramatic in three of them (patients no. 1, 2, and 4) ...

IN MYELOMA, THE ROLE of the bone marrow microenvironment has been shown to be of increasing importance in supporting the malignant plasma cell.1,2 Specifically, nonmalignant stromal cells in the bone marrow from myeloma patients have been shown to promote the growth and prevent the apoptosis of malignant plasma cells largely by the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6).1-3 Recently, a new member o...