Multiple Myeloma (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: Plasma-cell myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that begins in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell. These cells are part of your immune system, which helps protect the body from germs and other harmful substances. In time, myeloma cells collect in the bone marrow and in the solid parts of bone.

No one knows the exact causes of multiple myeloma, but it is more common in older people and African-Americans. Early symptoms may include

Bone pain, often in the back or ribs

Broken bones

Weakness or fatigue

Weight loss

Repeated infections

Myeloma is hard to cure. Treatment may help control symptoms and complications. Options include chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation and radiation.

National Cancer Institute

Start Here

Multiple Myeloma(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/multiplemyeloma/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/multiplemyelomaspanish/htm/index.htm
What Is Multiple Myeloma?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_is_multiple_myeloma_30.asp
What You Need to Know about Multiple Myeloma(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/myeloma/page3

Overviews

Multiple Myeloma: Cancer of the Bone Marrow(International Myeloma Foundation) - Large PDF file - http://myeloma.org/pdfs/imf-ph07-eng_f1web.pdf
Multiple Myeloma: Patient Handbook(International Myeloma Foundation) - Large PDF file - http://myeloma.org/pdfs/ph08-eng_h3-web.pdf

Diagnosis/Symptoms

Can Multiple Myeloma Be Found Early?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_3x_can_multiple_myeloma_be_found_early_30.asp
Multiple Myeloma(College of American Pathologists) - Links to PDF - http://www.cap.org/apps/docs/reference/myBiopsy/MultipleMyeloma.pdf
Multiple Myeloma Tests(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/mult_myeloma-2.html
Myeloma Diagnosis and Staging(Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation) - http://www.multiplemyeloma.org/about_myeloma/2.05.php
Myeloma Symptoms(Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation) - http://www.multiplemyeloma.org/about_myeloma/2.04.php
Understanding Blood Counts(Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) - http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_mat_toc.adp?item_id=9452
Also available in Spanish http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_mat_toc.adp?item_id=186980

Treatment

Bone Marrow Transplantation and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation: Questions and Answers(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/bone-marrow-transplant
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/bone-marrow-transplant-spanish
Donor Leukocyte Infusion(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/donor_leukocyte_infusion/hic_donor_leukocyte_infusion.aspx
MedlinePlus: Bone Marrow Transplantation(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonemarrowtransplantation.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/bonemarrowtransplantation.html
Multiple Myeloma and Other Plasma Cell Neoplasms (PDQ): Treatment(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/myeloma/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/tratamiento/mieloma/patient/
Treatment Options by Stage for Multiple Myeloma(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Treatment_Options_by_Stage_30.asp?sitearea=
Understanding Bisphosphonate Therapy(International Myeloma Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://myeloma.org/pdfs/UnderstandingBisphos_b3.2.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.myeloma.org/pdfs/UBis_Spanish.pdf
Understanding Quadramet(International Myeloma Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://myeloma.org/pdfs/Understanding_Quadramet.pdf
Understanding Serum Free Light Chain Assays(International Myeloma Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://myeloma.org/pdfs/UnderstandingFreeLight.pdf
Understanding Thalidomide Therapy(International Myeloma Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://myeloma.org/pdfs/Understanding_Thalidomide.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.myeloma.org/pdfs/UThal_Spanish.pdf

Alternative Therapy

Integrative Medicine & Complementary and Alternative Therapies As Part of Blood Cancer Care(Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1150734030.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1208799293.pdf

Disease Management

Multiple Myeloma: What Happens After Treatment?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_5X_What_happens_after_treatment_30.asp?rnav=cri

Specific Conditions

Myeloma Bone Disease(Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation) - http://www.multiplemyeloma.org/about_myeloma/2.08.php

Related Issues

Amyloidosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/amyloidosis/DS00431/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Do We Know What Causes Multiple Myeloma?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_2x_do_we_know_what_causes_multiple_myeloma_30.asp
Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/monoclonal-gammopathy/DS00870/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Understanding Balloon Kyphoplasty and Myeloma-Induced Vertebral Compression Fractures(International Myeloma Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://myeloma.org/pdfs/Understanding_Kyphoplasty.pdf
What Are the Risk Factors for Multiple Myeloma?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_2x_what_are_the_risk_factors_for_multiple_myeloma_30.asp
What Should You Ask Your Doctor about Multiple Myeloma?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_5x_what_should_you_ask_your_physician_about_multiple_myeloma_30.asp

Tutorials

Multiple Myeloma(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/multiplemyeloma/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/multiplemyelomaspanish/htm/index.htm

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Multiple Myeloma(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Multiple+Myeloma%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Plasmacytoma(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Plasmacytoma%22

Research

Bortezomib Approved for First-Line Treatment of Multiple Myeloma(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/bortezomib0908
Double Transplantation of One's Own Stem Cells Is Not Warranted for Multiple Myeloma(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/tandem-transplant0209
Drug Combination Shows Benefit in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/myeloma0807
Emerging Therapies(Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation) - http://www.multiplemyeloma.org/treatments/3.08.php
Lenalidomide Effective in Multiple Myeloma(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/lenalidomide0606
Thalidomide a Beneficial Option for Elderly Multiple Myeloma Patients(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/thalidomide0208
Thalidomide Effective in Multiple Myeloma(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/thalidomide-and-myeloma0306
Thalidomide Helps Elderly Multiple Myeloma Patients to Live Longer(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/thalidomide-plus-MP0606

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Bisphosphonates--role in cancer therapies. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19371811&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Role of autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation in myeloma. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19277049&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Role of active drug transporters in refractory multiple myeloma. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19200007&tool=MedlinePlus
Multiple Myeloma -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=multiple+myeloma[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Glossary of Terms and Definitions(International Myeloma Foundation) - http://myeloma.org/main.jsp?type=article&id=611

Directories

Access to Care(Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation) - http://www.multiplemyeloma.org/about_myeloma/2.09.04.php
Find an Oncologist(American Society of Clinical Oncology) - http://www.cancer.net/patient/Diagnosis+and+Treatment/Finding+Quality+Care/Find+an+Oncologist/Find+an+Oncologist+Database
National Cancer Institute Cancer Centers Program(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/NCI/cancer-centers
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/instituto/hojas-informativas/programa-centros-oncologicos

Organizations

American Cancer Society - http://www.cancer.org/
International Myeloma Foundation - http://myeloma.org/
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation - http://www.multiplemyeloma.org/
National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.gov/

Newsletters/Print Publications

Blood & Marrow Transplant Newsletter(BMT InfoNet) - http://www.bmtinfonet.org/letter.html
Myeloma Today(International Myeloma Foundation) - http://myeloma.org/main.jsp?type=query&tab_id=13&menu_id=0&id=6

Statistics

Myeloma(National Cancer Institute) - http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/mulmy.html
Myeloma Facts and Statistics(Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) - http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=6989
What Are the Key Statistics about Multiple Myeloma?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_multiple_myeloma_30.asp?rnav=cri

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Bone Marrow Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonemarrowdiseases.html
Bone Marrow Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonemarrowtransplantation.html
Lymphoma - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lymphoma.html
Cancers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancers.html
Immune System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/immunesystem.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Multiple Myeloma is the National Cancer Institute - http://www.nci.nih.gov/