Multiple Myeloma Essay examples

There are often no symptoms in the early stages of myeloma. In some cases, myeloma may be exposed by an accident in the course of routine blood testing and if symptoms are present they may be indistinct and related to those of other medical conditions.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a rare life-threatening cancer that affects the white blood cells known as plasma cells that are found in the soft, spongy tissue at the center of the bones, called bone marrow. The plasma cells are useful in fighting infections by producing antibodies that recognize and attack germs. The plasma cells are transformed into malignant myeloma cells when there are high levels of M proteins or better known as the production of abnormal antibodies from a result of myeloma cells. These M proteins multiple and block out normally functioning antibodies and the end results are bone damage or kidney problems. An individual can have blood tests or urine tests done to determine if they have multiple myeloma. In the article, “The work of living with a rare cancer: multiple myeloma” the authors explain how this type of cancer still remains incurable, but treatable that patients can expect to live longer, approximately five to seven years than what two decades ago. This was not expected for patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma during the 1990s, since patients were expected to only live about two and a half years after being diagnosed. Treatment for multiple myeloma throughout the years has advanced greatly yet a cure is still to be discovered. This essay will focus of the causes, the sign and symptoms, how multiple myeloma is detected and diagnosed, and how multiple myeloma is treated.

How is multiple myeloma diagnosed? Most cases are detected before any signs are present. Routine physical exams, blood and urine tests can add evidence of myeloma.

What is cancer? This is an important question that will help people to understand the severity of this affliction. Cancer occurs from abnormal cell growth in the human body. When this happens tumors may form. Tumors are a mass of cells that continue to expand. These tumors may be benign. This means they will not spread through the body. Though, the tumors may be malignant which means they may spread to other areas of the body in an invasive manner. These malignant tumors have the potential to cause serious complications and even death. It is these tumors that are cancerous.

Multiple myeloma or blood plasma cancer is characterized by increased blood vessel formulation in the bone marrow that is a prognostic factor in survival. One treatment approach used for multiple myeloma is stem cell transplantation with the patient’s own stem cells. The following data represent the bone marrow microvessel density for a sample of 7 patients who had a complete response to a stem cell transplant as measured by blood and urine tests. Two measurements were taken: the first immediately prior to the stem cell transplant, and the second at the time of the complete response. Use these data to answer questions 5 through 7.

Myeloma is a cancerous disease whose cause is plasma cells, which are one of the four major components that make up blood in a human body. Manufacture of the plasma takes place in the bone marrow and the main function of the plasma is help the body fight infections. Multiple myeloma is another name for myeloma in fact it is the more recognized name. The plasma of a healthy human body is responsible for the production of antibodies, which fight disease-causing infections. The plasma of a diseased human body with myeloma causes the uncontrollable multiplication of these plasma cells. The myeloma affects these plasma cells to extent that they start to produce one antibody, which is nonfunctioning

After the death of her husband, and for about three decades there was peace in her life as she stated, she would do the things she loved and was active all the time, but then she noticed different things happening to her. When Jane was 66 years old, she had found out that she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and she already half way through stage one. “They provided me with a medicine named Melphalan, and it was the worst thing ever.” She took Melphalan by pill and it had many side effects including her getting weaker, she had said that she had started losing her appetite. She didn’t let this incurable disease stop her from doing things she

Plasma cells are a type of white blood cell. They function to help the body fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. MM starts when a plasma cell becomes abnormal in the bone marrow and begins to multiple quickly. These abnormal, now cancerous cells accumulate and eventually outnumber the production of healthy cells. Like normal plasma cells, myeloma cells also produce antibodies. However, the body cannot use them. These antibodies are known as monoclonal proteins, or M proteins.3 M proteins can build up in the body and cause problems, such as

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms are caused due to an increase in the red blood cell production (a mutation in the JAK2 gene)

The production of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets happens in bone marrow. The bone marrow produces extra white blood cells when an infection occurs. According to Gordon-Smith (2013), the main function of white blood cells is to respond to infection in the body by killing the pathogen. However, traumatic bone marrow injury may cause the abnormality of blood production. Snyder (2012) states, extreme exposure to the toxin, such as benzene can harm the bones and affect the production of blood. The condition calls Leukaemia or blood cancer, which is the development of excessive amount of abnormal white blood cells. As the result, the bone marrow is not able to produce mature white blood cells. According to Cancer Council Victoria

The blood test can validate the number of abnormal cells that are present, similar to a bone marrow biopsy, while a CT scan can confirm the swelling of lymph nodes or if the liver and/or spleen are enlarged. Even though WM and Multiple Myeloma are similar, they can be verified via x-ray. Blood test can be used to determine if it is WM. The estimated normal range for Igm is 45 – 250 mg/dl. Large amounts of IgM can cause hyperviscosity, thickening of the blood, affecting the blood flow through smaller vessels and causing symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, headache, dizziness, and loss of energy. Bleeding from the gums and nose and peripheral neuropathy are also common symptoms of this disorder. Raynaud's phenomenon, a condition in which some areas of the body feel numb and cool in certain circumstances, can also cause blood vessels to tighten slowing the blood down causing the circulation to cut off in certain parts of the body. Not all patients with WM will suffer hyperviscosity or Raynaud's

Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is one of the most dangerous bone marrow diseases with an initial chronic stage lasting for 3-5 years. It changes to a very fast phase called accelerated phase and then to the blast phase in which it leads later to death1. Besides (CML) is a type of cancer that affects the blood cells by raising the level of the immature white blood cells (leukocytes) in the bone marrow and which leads later to circulate in the blood stream. These crowded immature blood cells do not perform their vital role in defending the body against infectious organisms properly, and that leads to leukaemia disease progression.2, 3

When you have leukaemia, the bone marrow produces uncommon white cells, which are known as leukaemia cells. Once your body start producing these leukaemia cells, at first,

Acute lymphocytic leukemia is also called acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL. This disease is primarily when the white blood cell, WBC, making tissue releases too many undeveloped lymphocytes. The immature lymphocytes then collect in lymph tissues. The tissues swell which makes it harder for the bone marrow to produce other blood cells. If the bone marrow cannot function properly the red blood cell, RBC, count decreases causing anemia. The bone marrow also cannot create the platelets needed to cause clots, therefore resulting in the body bleeding and bruising more easily. The lymphocytes can also invade other organs, impairing their ability to function properly. ALL accounts for twenty-five percent of cancers affecting children under the

RELEVANCE: The most common form of the blood cancer is the production of white blood cells. This buildup of these white blood cells hinders the body from control bleeding, supplying oxygen to the tissues, removing waste from tissues, and to fight infections. Approximately, someone in the US dies from a blood cancer every ten minutes. Of the blood cancers, leukemia accounts for 33% of the deaths (Siegel, Naishadham, & Jemal, 2013). Because the cancer stems from a transformation from healthy hematopoietic stem cells to leukemic stem cells, it would be beneficial to treat the disease with a stem cell therapy. The purpose of this study is to understand the mechanism of how hematopoietic stem cells are turned into leukemia stem cells and be able to prevent the transformation. It will be another step for researchers to find a less invasive method of threating leukemia that is safe for all ages and severity. The understanding of which factors induce the conversion of how HSCs to LSCs and being able to prevent it opens doors to new therapies and treatments and make stem cell transplants more safe and widely available.