Differentiation between benign and malignant monoclonal gammopathies by discriminant analysis on serum and bone marrow parameters.

Bone marrow samples of 28 individuals with clinically benign and of 41 patients with malignant monoclonal gammopathy were analyzed for the total number of lymphoplasmocellular elements containing cytoplasmic immunoglobulins and for the monoclonal fraction of these cells. Monoclonal immunoglobulin components were determined in sera. A discriminant analysis was performed on the data: the variables were transformed and in a stepwise procedure used for the construction of a discriminant function which by adividing point allowed a good distinction between the two groups of patients. By use of this discriminant function, 91% of the patients in the sample were correctly classified.