Light-Chain Amyloidosis: The Great Impostor

Abstract

Light-chain amyloidosis (AL) is a disease of protean manifestations due to a wide spectrum of organs that can be affected. The disorder is caused by the deposition of an extracellular amorphous material, the amyloid, which is produced by malignant plasma cells. The latter usually reside in the bone marrow; plasma cell infiltration is often low, in sharp contrast to what we observe in multiple myeloma. The disease may run below the physician’s radar for a while before clinical suspicion is raised and targeted tests are performed. In this short review, we try to answer most of the questions that a practicing physician may ask in a relative clinical setting. The text is formed as a series of reader-friendly questions that cover the subject of AL amyloidosis from history to current therapy.

Keywords

• amyloidosis
• immunoglobulin light chain
• diagnostic procedures
• therapeutic interventions