March Is Also Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month

March Is Designates As A Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month

Myeloma is a blood cancer of cells located in the bone marrow, particularly the so-called “plasma cells.” The bone marrow is the porous tissue inside the bones that normally creates the different parts of the blood. Plasma cells are a fundamental part of the body's immune system. In particular, they create antibodies that aid the body in fighting infection. Myeloma occurs when healthy plasma cells mutate and grow out of control. This can result in multiple bone lesions that raise the risk of bone fractures. That is where the phrase "multiple myeloma" comes from.

The Causes And Symptoms Of Multiple Myeloma

While the causes of multiple myeloma are not completely known, it is more prevalent in older people, especially men, and African Americans. Some typical symptoms include bone pain, dizziness or fatigue, weight loss, recurrent infections, and frequent urination.

Multiple Myeloma is the second most frequent blood cancer, after non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and occurs when a plasma cell grows abnormal. The abnormal cells frequently make copies of themselves. In time, these multiplied cells accumulate in bones, weakening the solid parts of the bones. When this occurs in more than one bone, it is called “multiple myeloma.”

The next step following the diagnosis will be to evaluate the treatment options with a doctor. These could involve watchful waiting, induction therapy, stem cell transplant, or a combination of all of these methods. Myeloma most commonly happens in people aged 40 and older, and it is somewhat more prevalent in men. Patients feel weaker bones more likely to break, as well as anemia, bone pain, kidney damage, recurrent infections, and prolonged bleeding and bruising.

Important Facts About Multiple Myeloma

When a patient has been diagnosed with the disease, there are usually several questions that come to mind along that journey. There could also be some questions patients wouldn’t remember to ask. 

Here are some facts concerning the disease, major things to consider when collecting information from the doctor, and what kinds of questions to keep in mind.

Abnormal plasma cells can crowd out or suppress the growth of other cells in the bone marrow, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. They also diminish the creation of normal plasma cells, which drops a person’s immunity. This suppression may result in:

• Anemia, from a lack of red blood cells

• Inordinate bleeding from cuts to the skin, from a deficiency of platelets

• Reduced ability to fight infection, from a deficiency of white blood cells and the body’s incapacity to respond to infection due to the presence of abnormal antibodies

Multiple myeloma is not always diagnosed early on. The symptoms usually start gradually, so that patients might wait a while before going to the doctor. Furthermore, the symptoms are rather vague and often still mild: they are not specific to multiple myeloma alone, but also occur in many other conditions. As a result of these general symptoms, the disease is often diagnosed later than optimal for treatment. Although the symptoms are general, the occurrence of one or more specific symptoms - the so-called CRAB-criteria - may be an implication for multiple myeloma.

What Is “Watchful Waiting”? 

Watchful waiting involves rigorous monitoring of any symptoms that may arise, regular checkups, and treatment if symptoms do repeat. Induction therapy is the use of drugs to help treat myeloma. They could include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, steroids, or various blends of drugs. The induction of these types of drugs occurs at the hospital, or at home, depending on a number of factors.

A stem cell transplant enables patients to be treated with high doses of drugs, that kill both myeloma cells and normal blood cells in the bone marrow. After the high-dose treatment is completed, healthy stem cells are infused through a vein. The stem cells may come from the patient or someone who donates their healthy stem cells, like a family member or other comparable donor.

A doctor will provide more details about the different treatment options open for multiple myeloma. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, contact your doctor and they will help you form a plan for the next actions and help guide you in your treatment.