Plasma cells are the ones that generate the mutation in multiple myeloma.
By: Valentina Diaz Ospina
He multiple myeloma It is a disease that can return several times and affect different tissues of the human body, for which it is essential that patients receive permanent medical treatment. In fact, in the United States, the risk of developing multiple myeloma in the course of life is 1 in 132 (or 0.76%).
For this reason, in a meeting of patients held by the Auxilio Mutuo Hospital and the Journal of Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Joel López, an oncologist hematologist from the prestigious Puerto Rican hospital, spoke about the recurrence of multiple myeloma and the basics of this condition that still does not have a cure.
Diagnosis and abnormal M protein in multiple myeloma
As explained by Dr. López, for the diagnosis of multiple myeloma there are clear criteria that allow its early detection. Even the first thing that must be taken into account to diagnose this type of cancer is to present an infiltration of the plasma cells monoclonal in more than 10% or that these cells are found in other parts of the bone.
Dr. López also explained that the multiple myeloma are those plasma cells that grow out of control and become cancerous, producing a type of protein not normal (protein M), which accumulates in the body and can be discovered through specific tests or laboratories such as serum electrophoresis.
What is serum electrophoresis?
It is one of the tests that allows us to know if the patient has multiple myeloma or other disorder of plasma cells. This test measures the types of protein in the liquid part (serum) of a blood sample, analyzing the proteins that are in the blood and allowing to know if they are normal or abnormal.
See the complete program:
Other diagnostic criteria in multiple myeloma
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Hypercalcemia: where the patient’s calcium is more than 11.
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Kidney failure: where the patient has a creatinine of more than 2.
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Anemia: with a hemoglobin less than 10.
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Frequent or sporadic bone injuries, that is, fractures without a logical explanation.
“To say that the patient has symptoms or is symptomatic myeloma, he must have one of these criteria,” said the specialist.
The goal is long valleys of remission and short relapses
According to Dr. López, “the multiple myeloma It is a condition that cannot be cured.” Despite this, the specialist explained that the physicians treating this condition want the remission valleys to be maintained for as long as possible and the relapse peaks to last as short as possible.