Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that affects plasma cells in the bone marrow, accounting for 1% of all cancers. Symptoms include bone pain, fatigue, and abnormal proteins in the blood. Treatment options include medication and stem cell transplants. Recurrence is common, and the cause is unknown.
Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that attacks the plasma cells in the bone marrow. This condition accounts for approximately XNUMX% of all cancers, with approximately XNUMX% of cancer deaths attributed to multiple myeloma. Like other cancers, this condition is not curable, but it can be treated, with the patient’s prognosis varying, depending on the stage at which the cancer is caught. Patients with multiple myeloma typically require close monitoring in an effort to prevent the condition from progressing.
Plasma cells are extremely important, as they generate antibodies for the immune system. In a healthy individual, about five percent of the cells in the bone mound are plasma cells; in a patient with multiple myeloma, this number can double, causing very serious health problems. The profusion of plasma cells can lead to anemia and also causes injury to the bones which can make them susceptible to breaking. Multiple myeloma also commonly causes cancer.
The symptoms of this condition can be subtle at first. Often bone pain is the first sign, along with fatigue. If the condition is allowed to progress untreated, patients may experience neurological problems due to high blood calcium, caused by bone breakdown. It is also common to see abnormal proteins in the blood when patients are tested, and the condition often causes kidney problems as well.
You may also hear this condition called plasma cell myeloma, MM (for multiple myeloma), or Kahler’s disease. In all cases, doctors have different treatment recommendations depending on the patient. In cases where patients are asymptomatic, for example, doctors may choose to simply monitor them. In patients with active problems related to multiple myeloma, various medications may be prescribed to treat problems such as bone thinning and kidney failure. To attack myeloma itself, an arsenal of treatments can be used, including radiation, chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, thalidomide, bortezomid, and lenalidomide.
Men and people of black descent tend to get multiple myeloma more than others. Unfortunately for many patients, the condition is characterized by recurrence. The cause of the initial mutation that triggers multiple myeloma is now known, although researchers are trying to learn more about this and other cancers with the goal of prevention and better treatment.
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