If you have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, the first step to coping with this disease is to learn more about it. Understanding multiple myeloma and its symptoms can empower you with the knowledge to manage your disease.

Although there is no cure for multiple myeloma, there are effective treatments available. You and your doctor can work together to find treatment options that are right for you. Getting treatment can help you fight your condition, and you can learn how to cope with the physical and emotional impacts of multiple myeloma.


Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells that typically develops in people over the age of 50. While a small number of people develop multiple myeloma before they turn 40, the majority of cases are diagnosed in their mid-60s. Men have a higher risk of developing multiple myeloma than women, as do those who are overweight or obese.

How Multiple Myeloma Can Affect You

Multiple myeloma is a complicated disease. It is a hematologic (blood) cancer that affects the body in many different ways, even in the early stages.

Your blood is produced in your bone marrow and is made up of many types of cells. One of these cell types is the plasma cell, which normally produces antibodies used to fight infections. Patients with myeloma have cancerous plasma cells, also called myeloma cells, which build up and form tumors in the bones and occasionally in various soft tissues of the body. Myeloma cells make an abnormal protein, called M-protein, which builds up in the bone marrow and other parts of the body in excessive amounts. About 30% of multiple myeloma patients have some evidence of kidney disease at diagnosis.


Symptoms of Multiple Myeloma

Some people with multiple myeloma have many symptoms while some may not have any. Some of the most common symptoms include:

Bone pain, especially in your back
Feeling very tired
Weight loss
Infection
Pale complexion
The symptoms listed above may be symptoms of other medical problems as well. Talk to your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding your particular situation.


Diagnosis and Staging of Multiple Myeloma

Diagnosis

Some people find out they have multiple myeloma after a routine physical, blood test, or X-rays. Others tell their doctor that they are not feeling well, and because of their symptoms, their doctors will perform various tests to make a diagnosis.

A diagnosis of myeloma is made based on the presence of an increased number of plasma cells in the bone marrow and, in most cases, the presence of excess protein (M-protein) in the blood or urine.

Some tests to confirm a diagnosis of multiple myeloma include:

Serum Electrophoresis (SPEP) measures the levels of various proteins in your blood. Measuring and tracking the levels of proteins in the blood helps to determine the progression of your disease and your response to treatment. Most multiple myeloma patients see an increase in M-protein, known as an "M-spike" or "para protein."
Serum Free Light Chain Assay detects and measures substances called free light chains (kappa and lambda). It is a sensitive indicator that is associated with progression or development of multiple myeloma.
Urine tests, such as 24-hour urine total protein and creatinine clearance, that measure your kidney function
Bone Marrow Biopsy can detect an increase in the number of plasma cells in the bone marrow (the spongy inner part of the bones where blood cells are made). The biopsy requires a sample of solid bone tissue usually taken from the marrow in the pelvis. A diagnosis of multiple myeloma is likely if 10% or more of the cells in your bone marrow are plasma cells.
These tests indicate how much disease is in your body.

Classifications

Multiple myeloma can be classified into stages according to a patient’s symptoms and the extent of his or her disease. Doctors usually perform a number of tests and use the results to help determine a cancer’s stage.

There are some initial stages of multiple myeloma that may not require treatment. Depending on the stage of your disease, you and your doctor may decide to wait to treat until your disease is more advanced.

Symptomatic multiple myeloma is when patients have active disease that requires treatment. Doctors may diagnose symptomatic multiple myeloma using the CRAB criteria.

C: evidence of hyperCalcemia – too much calcium in the blood
R: evidence of Renal dysfunction – poor kidney function
A: Anemia – too few red blood cells
B: Bone lesions – areas of damage to the bones

It’s important to learn about your treatment options so you and your doctor can make an educated decision.

Being diagnosed with multiple myeloma can be scary. Understanding your treatment options may help you feel more in control and help you communicate with your oncologist.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable condition, but a tremendous amount of progress has been made in research of treatments for the disease. Physicians now have more options to treat multiple myeloma than ever before.