13 Facts About Multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma, known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies.

Multiple myeloma is diagnosed based on blood or urine tests finding abnormal antibodies, bone marrow biopsy finding cancerous plasma cells, and medical imaging finding bone lesions.

The word Multiple myeloma is from the Greek myelo- meaning "marrow" and -oma meaning "tumor".

The most common cause of kidney failure in multiple myeloma is due to proteins secreted by the malignant cells.

EBV-positive multiple myeloma is classified by the World Health Organization as one form of the Epstein–Barr virus-associated lymphoproliferative diseases and termed Epstein–Barr virus-associated plasma cell myeloma.

Multiple myeloma develops in B lymphocytes after they have left the part of the lymph node known as the germinal center.

The observed methylation pattern of CpG within intronic regions with enhancer-related chromatin marks in multiple myeloma is similar to undifferentiated precursor and stem cells.

Micrograph showing Multiple myeloma cast nephropathy in a kidney biopsy: Hyaline casts are PAS positive .

Immunohistochemistry can detect plasma cells that express immunoglobulin in the cytoplasm and occasionally on the cell surface; Multiple myeloma cells are often CD56, CD38, CD138, and CD319 positive and CD19, CD20, and CD45 negative.

Risk of multiple myeloma can be reduced slightly by maintaining a normal body weight.

Treatment for multiple myeloma is focused on decreasing the clonal plasma cell population and consequently decrease the symptoms of disease.

Multiple myeloma is the second-most prevalent blood cancer after non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Multiple myeloma occurs in older dogs and is not particularly associated with either males or females.