About This Booklet
This National Cancer Institute (NCI) booklet (NIH Publication No. 08-1575) is about multiple myeloma,* a cancer that starts in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell. It's also called plasma cell myeloma. Each year in the United States, about 20,000 people learn they have this disease.
This booklet is only about multiple myeloma. It is not about bone cancer. Although multiple myeloma affects the bones, it begins in plasma cells.
Bone cancer begins in bone cells. It's diagnosed and treated differently from multiple myeloma. The NCI's fact sheet
Bone Cancer: Questions and Answers provides information about bone cancer.
Also, this booklet is not about plasmacytoma (a collection of abnormal plasma cells that forms a single tumor) and other types of plasma cell tumors. You can find information on our Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/myeloma. Or, the Cancer Information Service (1-800-4-CANCER) can send you information about those diseases.
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This booklet tells about diagnosis, treatment options, and tests the doctor may give you during follow-up visits. It also tells about supportive care before, during, or after treatment. Learning about the medical care for multiple myeloma can help you take an active part in making choices about your care.
This booklet has lists of questions that you may
want to ask your doctor. Many people find it helpful to
take a list of questions to a doctor visit. To help
remember what your doctor says, you can take notes or
ask whether you may use a tape recorder. You may also
want to have a family member or friend go with you
when you talk with the doctor - to take part in the
discussion, to take notes, or just to listen.
For the latest information about multiple myeloma, please visit our Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/myeloma. Or, contact our Cancer Information Service. We can answer your questions about cancer. We can send you NCI booklets and fact sheets. Call 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) or instant message us through the
LiveHelp service at http://www.cancer.gov/help.
* Words in italics are in the Dictionary. The Dictionary explains these terms. It also shows how to pronounce them.
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