Question:medium
Plasmacytoid lymphomas (lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma) may be associated with:
Plasmacytoid lymphomas (lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma) may be associated with:
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Think Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia and its large pentameric protein.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- IgG
- IgM
- IgA
- IgE
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Decode the name first. A lymphoplasmacytic or plasmacytoid lymphoma is made of B lymphocytes caught halfway in their journey to becoming plasma cells, and like plasma cells they pump out a single clone of antibody. The key is to recognise which antibody this particular tumour favours. The famous disease produced by this lymphoma is Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, and the word macroglobulin is itself a clue: it refers to the bulky pentameric IgM molecule. Because the cells secrete enormous amounts of IgM, the plasma turns thick and sticky, leading to the hyperviscosity picture of headaches, blurred vision, mucosal bleeding, and sluggish circulation. Now weigh the alternatives. IgG is what you expect in classic multiple myeloma, a frank plasma cell malignancy rather than a lymphoma. IgA myeloma is again a plasma cell tumour and not the lymphoplasmacytic type. IgE secreting tumours are vanishingly rare curiosities. So the antibody class that defines plasmacytoid lymphoma, through its link to Waldenstrom disease, is IgM.
\[\boxed{\text{IgM}}\]
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