Multiple myeloma is a cancer that strikes plasma cells in the blood. When the plasma is affected, it can causes bone erosion. The disease also affects the bone marrow and the immune system. The cancer gets its name as it can affect more than one site (multiple) in the body. Some people can have multiple myeloma without symptoms.
Symptoms
As multiple myeloma progresses, symptoms are more likely to appear. The most common symptoms include pain in the bones, abnormal blood or urine exams that include the presence of monoclonal proteins and elevated levels of calcium. Elevated calcium can lead to dehydration, constipation and nausea. Anemia, bone fractures with no cause, fatigue and repeated infections are also common symptoms of multiple myeloma.
Causes
Exact causes of multiple myeloma are not yet known. Doctors know that the disease starts with irregular plasma cells that keep multiplying. Normal people have 5% or less plasma cells in their marrow. Since the cancerous cells don't die off, they accumulate to up to 10% of the marrow. The cells will also travel and accumulate in other parts of the body that are different from their original sites. Researchers believe that the disease may be genetic.
Risks
Multiple myeloma is most common in people over 50 years of age. Most people, however, are over 70 when diagnosed. African-Americans are more likely to develop the disease than whites. It is also twice as common in men as in women. As with most cancers, people who are obese or overweight are more likely to develop multiple myeloma. People with a condition called monoclonal gammopathy are also more likely to develop the disease.
Complications
If left untreated, multiple myeloma can have serious effects on the body. Myeloma cells get in the way of the production of antibodies. People with the disease then do not have the proper defense to fight off infections of other organs, such as the bladder or kidneys. Since bones are eroded, the spinal column may compress, resulting in paralysis or weak limbs. Also, myeloma cells can impair kidney function, which interferes with the body's processing of waste.
Treatment
People with symptomatic multiple myeloma have many treatment options. The disease is incurable, but the available options can allow the patient to have an almost normal quality of life. Treatments include chemotherapy, steroids, drugs such as thalidomide and radiation therapy. Many patients are also given stem cell transplants, which come from either their own or a donor's marrow. Treatments are also directed at symptoms, with pain-relieving drugs, antibiotics and erythropoietin injections used to fight pain, infection and anemia.
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