What are the Stages of Multiple Myeloma?
Before deciding on treatment options, your doctor will need to know the extent, or stage, of the multiple myeloma. Your doctor will look at the results of blood tests, X-rays or other imaging tests, and bone marrow tests to determine the stage of the cancer. Your doctor may also schedule a positron emission tomography (PET) scan to help determine your stage. This test scans your entire body, so it is more helpful than a series of several different X-rays. The PET scan shows which parts of your body are using glucose. Glucose use is a sign of active, quickly dividing cells, such as multiple myeloma cells. For this test, you get injected with a small amount of radioactive glucose. Then you lie still on a table that is pushed into the PET scanner, which rotates around you, taking pictures. The traditional system used to stage multiple myeloma is called the Durie-Salmon system. It is based on 4 different factors: –The amount of abnormal monoclonal immunoglobulin in the blood or urine. Lar
