Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia with 11q deletion: A rarely diagnosed entity with review of literature

Abstract

Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare, chronic, and indolent B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by bone marrow infiltration by small lymphocytes, lymphoplasmacytoid cells, and plasma cells along with the presence of a detectable monoclonal immunoglobulin M. It represents 1%–2% of hematological malignancies with an overall incidence of 3–4 cases/million persons/year. Some deletions are associated with a more aggressive IgM gammopathy and have a high probability of symptomatic transformation. 6q deletion, the most common cytogenetic abnormality, which is present in 42% of cases whereas 11q deletion is rare in WM and is present in only 8% of cases. We are presenting a case of a 70-year-old male patient diagnosed as WM with 11q deletion.