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- • Patients with smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) have enough myeloma cells in the bone marrow and a large
- amount of an abnormal protein (monoclonal or M-protein) in the blood to indicate multiple myeloma, but they
- do not have the anemia , kidney failure or skeletal lesions that are also characteristic of the disease. There are no
- symptoms.
- • Patients with plasma cell leukemia have large numbers of plasma cells circulating in the blood. Plasma cell
- leukemia may be the first feature of multiple myeloma leading to a diagnosis or it may occur late in its course
- after a resistance to chemotherapy has developed.
- • With non-secretory myeloma, patients have abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow and frequently have
- holes (lytic lesions) in the skeleton, but no abnormal protein is detectable in the blood or urine.
- • Osteosclerotic myeloma (POEMS syndrome) patients usually have pain, burning numbness and weakness
- produced by the involvement of nerves by the disease (polyneuropathy). The liver and spleen are often
- enlarged; there may be a darkening of the skin and increased growth of body hair. The breasts may become
- enlarged and the testicles smaller. Bone x-rays usually reveal dense (sclerotic) areas in the bone. Anemia,
- kidney failure and fractures are rare with this type.
- • Solitary plasmacytoma (solitary myeloma of bone) means there is a single plasma cell tumor in the bone.
- X-rays of the bones show no other lytic lesions and the bone marrow is normal. Characteristically, the patients
- have no abnormal M-protein in the blood or urine. This tumor should be treated with high doses of radiation to
- the lesion, but about 60 percent of patients will develop multiple myeloma within 10 years.
-