The immune system is composed of several types of cells; We're going to focus on the main, lymphatic cell or cell. There are two main types of lymphocytes: T lymphocytes and b lymphocytes. When there is an infection, B lymphocytes respond, become plasma cells or plasma cells and produce antibodies (also called immunoglobulins) that help the body fight infections. T lymphocytes respond with several transformations that allow them to directly attack infectious agents or other cell types help defend the body.
In myeloma, the abnormal plasma cells produce only one type of antibody (or immunoglobulin) called paraproteins and also prevent the formation of antibodies by the other normal plasma cells, which are destroyed. Thus, the patient is more prone to infections. The extent of these evidence provides information for diagnosis and control of myeloma.
In multiple myeloma, plasma cells DNA is damaged by several mutations and this causes these cells to become cancerous. To grow out of control, these cells can produce a large tumor, usually in the bone, called plasmacytoma, which will be isolated (or solo) if there is only one. However, unlike most cancers, myeloma in most cases does not appear in the form of tumor, but that myeloma cells are divided and extend within the bone marrow, as a liquid, does so without producing solid masses.
Myeloma affects multiple sites of the body (hence the name of multiple myeloma), where bone marrow is usually active in adults: within the spine, skull, pelvis, ribs, and bones that are part of the shoulders and hips.
Areas not usually affected are the distal, or farthest extremities: hands, feet, and the lower regions of the arms and legs. This is very important since these areas function is usually preserved completely.
When there is a high presence of the same antibody, or paraprotein, one speaks of monoclonal gammopathy. Some people develop a myeloma after having been diagnosed with a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (GMSI or MGUS, for its acronym in English - monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance), but it is not always the case. The high concentration of the same monoclonal antibody takes place also in other diseases, such as light chain Amyloidosis and Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia.
There are 4 new cases of myeloma per 100,000 inhabitants per year.
It represents approximately 1% of all neoplasms (cancers), and 10% of all hematologic neoplasms (cancers of the blood).
It is one of the five hematological malignancies more frequent, along with Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the large cell B lymphoma and follicular lymphoma.
In Spain there are about 12,000 diagnosed cases of multiple myeloma, and 2,000 new cases each year are estimated.
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