Multiple Myeloma in a Husband and Wife

To the Editor.— The cause of hematopoietic malignant neoplasms is unknown, but epidemiologic studies in Hodgkin's disease and acute leukemia are suggestive that these diseases may be transmissible.¹,²Myeloma has been reported in four sets of spouses by Kyle et al,³and the search for other instances was requested. The fifth such occurrence is herein reported in a nonconsanguineous couple. Report of Cases.— Husband.—A 59-year-old white man came to the hospital in May 1958 because of back and shoulder pain. A roentgenogram of the left shoulder showed bone destruction of the lateral third of the clavicle. A biopsy specimen of the clavicle demonstrated a plasma cell neoplasm. Further evaluation revealed a total serum protein level of 6.6 g/dl, and plasma cells constituted 27% of the nucleated cells present in a bone marrow aspirate. He was treated with radiation therapy to the left shoulder and released. In September