An Electrophoretic Study of the Abnormal Proteins in Urine, Peripheral Venous and Bone Marrow Sera in Multiple Myeloma

1. Abnormal and distinct homogeneous globulins of different electrophoretic mobilities have been found in a high percentage of concentrated whole urines from patients with multiple myeloma, occurring either as a single isolated globulin or as the dominant globulin in combination with smaller amounts of albumin and other globulin components. In contrast, the electrophoretic pattern of non-Bence Jones protein observed in a wide variety of diseases is dominated by albumin in association with smaller amounts of various globulin components usually more heterogeneous in nature.

2. The abnormal dominant globulins were found in 21 out of 35 or 60 per cent of the myeloma urines studies, while only 28.5 per cent were positive for Bence Jones protein by the conventional heat test.

3. Electrophoresis of concentrated whole urines in multiple myeloma appears to be a more sensitive technic for the detection of the abnormal urinary protein than the conventional heat test and may be a useful additional diagnostic procedure when the latter reactions cannot be elicited.

4. In patients with multiple myeloma the electrophoretic pattern of the protein in bone marrow serum does not appear to differ significantly from the corresponding protein pattern of peripheral venous serum.