Frequency
Overall, plasmocytoma is a rare disease. The incidence, i.e. the rate of new cases per year, is about 3 per 100,000 inhabitants. Men fall ill slightly more frequently than women.
Men are affected more frequently than women, an occurrence before the age of 60 is unusual but possible. As described above, plasmocyte multiple myeloma belongs to the group of low malignant non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Low malignant means: slightly malignant.
However, this does not refer to the prognosis, but to the growth behavior. The malignant degeneration of a B – lymphocyte is regarded as the cause. This original cell proliferates uncontrolled in the further course of the disease and produces identical duplicates of its own cell.
This genetic relationship can be detected in the blood and is used for diagnosis by detecting monoclonal antibodies. Even after intensive research, the development of the plasmocytoma in all steps has not yet been clarified. Many blood cancers are associated with viral diseases, immune system disorders or chemotherapy. For multiple myeloma, no evidence of involvement of these factors in its development has been demonstrated to date. However, an inheritable component is known.
Symptoms
There are no specific symptoms that reliably indicate multiple myeloma disease. Common symptoms include
- As frequently occurring characteristic one finds an impairment of the general condition with general illness feeling, exhaustion, weight loss and easily increased temperature
- The majority of patients experience bone pain.They are often the first sign that patients are leading to the doctor. These bone pains occur particularly frequently in the area of the spinal column (back pain).
They are caused by the uncontrolled growth of the tumor cells in the bone and the slow destruction of the skeleton; a vertebral fracture may occur. This destruction can also be seen in X-rays as bone fracture. The x-ray image of the skull shown above shows sharply defined bone dissolution (osteolysis), which is typical for Kahler’s disease.
- Too high a calcium level or thickening of the blood can cause confusion, nausea and vomiting.
However, this only occurs more frequently in the final stage of the disease.
- Due to the disturbed immune system there is an increased susceptibility to infections.
If protein chains are produced, they can clog the kidney. The result can be kidney failure. Due to the overproduction of monoclonal antibodies, these can be deposited throughout the body. So-called amyloid can be detected in many organs. Among other things, this amyloid blocks the kidney ducts and thus prevents the filtration function.
