What is Multiple Myeloma ?
Multiple myeloma is a kind of cancer that begins in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell. These cells make proteins to help the body fight infection. When plasma cells grow out of control, they build up either in the bone marrow or in organs. Tumors can destroy normal bone tissue. This can cause bone pain and sometimes fractures. Cancerous plasma cells can also crowd the bone marrow, preventing the healthy cells from working normally. That means people with multiple myeloma may not make enough white and red blood cells. They may also have fewer platelets, which are needed for clotting blood. Plus, since the plasma cells help the body fight disease, if a group of them is cancerous, the body is not as able to fight infection. People with multiple myeloma are at greater risk of getting infections.
Multiple myeloma (also known as myelomatosis or myeloma) is a cancer in which there is abnormal growth in the number of plasma cells in the bone-marrow and blood. This can suppress the normal production of blood cells, including those associated with the body’s immune system. The plasma cells may collect in the bone to make small tumours known as plasmacytomas. Multiple myeloma is most common in people aged over 60, and is less frequent before the age of 40. See Multiple Myeloma Links in Guide to Internet Resources for Cancer.
Multiple myeloma is a complex cancer of bone marrow plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies called immunoglobulins and plays a critical role in the immune system. Normally, they make up a very small portion (less than 5 percent) of the cells in the bone marrow, the soft material in the center of most bones. In people with multiple myeloma, more than 10 percent and sometimes higher than 90 percent of the cells in their bone marrow are plasma cells. This is because the abnormal cells divide again and again, making more and more abnormal cells. These abnormal plasma cells build up in the bone marrow and crowd out normal cells. Though multiple myeloma affects the bone, it is considered a hematologic (blood-based) malignancy because the cancerous cells are plasma cells, not bone cells. back to top Risk Factors There is no known cause of multiple myeloma. However, research has shown that people with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop the dis
