Paraproteinemias and Plasma Cell Dyscrasias: a History Long 150 Years

Abstract

Bence Jones proteinuria, one of the main clinical manifestations of mul­tiple myeloma, was first recognized and described 150 years ago. From 1847 until nowadays many advances have occurred in biology, epidemio­logy, treatment, and prognosis of the plasma cell dyscrasias. In the present note, the most important milestones on the road to the recognition of the­se diseases are traced, from Henry Bence Jones, the physician who first emphasized the presence in the urine of the protein that bears his name, to the more recent acquisitions in their biology and therapy.