Create your Personal Health Record and unlock support built around you
- Treatments and trials you qualify for
- Education for your stage of care
- Financial support for your medications
- Solutions to your side effects
What is Multiple Myeloma?
Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that affects plasma cells. When you have multiple myeloma, your plasma cells change and grow faster than normal.
Plasma cells are a type of white blood cell. They are in the bone marrow, which is the spongy center of large bones where blood cells are made. Multiple myeloma is considered a blood cancer. It may also be referred to as a bone marrow cancer.
How does multiple myeloma affect plasma cells?
Plasma cells are a part of the body’s immune system. They play an important role in fighting off illness. When a person has multiple myeloma, their plasma cells do not work the way they should.
Multiple Myeloma Basics: When you have multiple myeloma, your body produces too many abnormal plasma cells. The plasma cells build up in your bones. This causes tumors in the bones and bone marrow in your body. Your bone marrow cannot produce enough healthy blood cells and your bones become weaker.
The plasma cells also release M proteins, which can’t be used by the body. These proteins build up in the blood and kidneys, causing thicker blood and kidney problems.
Multiple myeloma affects your blood, bones, kidneys, and immune system.
What are plasma cells?
Plasma cells make antibodies to fight infection. When substances such as bacteria, allergens, or viruses enter the body, they are called antigens. The immune system is activated to fight off the infection or illness caused by antigens.
When the immune system is activated, a type of white blood cell called B lymphocytes or B cells change into plasma cells. Plasma cells make antibodies, also called immunoglobulin. Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins that are designed to respond to a specific antigen.
How multiple myeloma changes plasma cells
When a person has multiple myeloma, their plasma cells grow too quickly. The extra plasma cells build up in the bone marrow and form tumors. Bone marrow is the soft, spongy tissue at the center of large bones where blood cells are made.
The abnormal plasma cells continue making antibodies, but the antibodies are not useful. These antibodies are called monoclonal proteins, M proteins, M-spike proteins, paraproteins, and monoclonal immunoglobulin. When M proteins build up in the body, they make blood thicker and damage kidneys. That is why kidney problems are common for people with multiple myeloma.
How does multiple myeloma affect the body?
Too many abnormal plasma cells can affect the blood, bones, kidneys, and immune system.
How multiple myeloma affects the blood
When abnormal plasma cells collect in the bone marrow, the bone marrow cannot create new blood cells the way it should. This can lead to:
Low levels of red blood cells, which is called anemia
Low levels of white blood cells, which is called neutropenia
Low levels of platelets, which is called thrombocytopenia
These changes to your blood increase the chance of developing fatigue, infection, and bleeding problems.
How multiple myeloma affects the bones
Myeloma cells damage bone and prevent new bone cells from growing. These changes to your bones increase the chance of pain, fractures, and hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the blood).
How multiple myeloma affects the kidneys
M proteins released by myeloma cells can build up in the kidneys. Infections and hypercalcemia can also cause kidney problems. Around half of people with myeloma will develop kidney disease.
How multiple myeloma affects the immune system
When there are too many abnormal plasma cells, the immune system does not work as it should. This puts you at a higher risk of infections.
Learn more about the signs and symptoms of multiple myeloma.
What are plasma cell neoplasms?
Conditions like multiple myeloma that affect plasma cells are also called plasma cell neoplasms or plasma cell disorders. Not all plasma cell neoplasms are cancer, but they can turn into cancer.
Other plasma cell neoplasms include:
Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). People with MGUS have a smaller amount of abnormal plasma cells compared to multiple myeloma. MGUS can turn into more serious conditions, such as amyloidosis, multiple myeloma, Waldenström macroglobulinemia, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Learn more about MGUS.
Light chain amyloidosis. Light chain amyloidosis is also called AL amyloidosis or primary amyloidosis. This happens when plasma cells produce abnormal light chains, which are a part of the Y-shaped antigens. The abnormal light chains break off the antigens and collect in other organs causing damage. Learn more about light chain amyloidosis.
Light chain deposition disease (LCDD). LCDD is similar to light chain amyloidosis, but the light chain deposits are slightly different. Learn more about LCDD.
Plasmacytoma. A person with plasmacytoma has abnormal plasma cells or myeloma cells. Instead of spreading throughout the bone marrow, the cells collect and form one tumor. Plasmacytoma tumors can be found in bone or soft tissue. Between 65% and 84% of plasmacytoma tumors become multiple myeloma after 10 years. Learn more about plasmacytoma.
Smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). Smoldering myeloma is the stage in between MGUS and myeloma. Like MGUS, people with smoldering myeloma have a smaller amount of abnormal plasma cells but without other signs of multiple myeloma. Learn more about smoldering myeloma.
Waldenström macroglobulinemia. This is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that grows slowly. It is also called lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Learn more about Waldenström macroglobulinemia.
What's next in the HealthTree multiple myeloma guide?
The next page in this guide describes the Signs and Symptoms of Multiple Myeloma. If you would like to read another page in this guide, return to the Understanding Multiple Myeloma page or choose another page from the menu.
Sources:
Medscape. Solitary Plasmacytoma. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/207233-overview#a2
UpToDate. Multiple Myeloma. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/multiple-myeloma-overview-of-management#H22
International Myeloma Foundation. A Guide to Multiple Myeloma Bone Disease. https://www.myeloma.org/bone-disease
National Cancer Institute. Plasma Cell Neoplasms. https://www.cancer.gov/types/myeloma/patient/myeloma-treatment-pdq