Fig. 1. Representative example of flow cytometric immunophenotyping using two methods to distinguish between neoplastic plasma cells and reactive plasma cells in a patient with multiple myeloma. (A) Conventional 4-color, 2 tube method. Plasma cells were gated with CD138+ and low side scatter, and were distinguished as neoplastic cells (CD56+/CD19-/CD138+/CD45-) and reactive plasma cells (CD56-/CD19+/CD138+/CD45+) in a first tube (A-1). Cytoplasmic light-chain restriction was analyzed in a second tube (A-2). (B) Plasma Cell Separation Tube (PCST) method. Plasma cells were gated for CD38+ and CD138+ and analyzed for CD56, CD19, CD45, cytoplasmic kappa, cytoplasmic lambda, and β2-microglobulin in one tube.

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