From the Guidelines
Yes, multiple myeloma is a form of cancer. It specifically affects plasma cells, which are a type of white blood cell found in the bone marrow that produces antibodies to help fight infections. In multiple myeloma, cancerous plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cells. These abnormal plasma cells produce abnormal proteins (M proteins) instead of useful antibodies, leading to various complications. Multiple myeloma typically causes bone pain, anemia, kidney problems, frequent infections, and elevated calcium levels in the blood.
Key Characteristics of Multiple Myeloma
- A malignant neoplasm of plasma cells that accumulate in bone marrow, leading to bone destruction and marrow failure 1
- Accounts for 1% of all cancers and ~10% of all hematologic malignancies 1
- Typically affects older adults, with the average age at diagnosis being around 70 years 1
- The second most common blood cancer after non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Treatment Options
- Targeted therapy medications like bortezomib (Velcade), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and daratumumab (Darzalex)
- Chemotherapy
- Corticosteroids
- Stem cell transplantation
- Radiation therapy
Disease Management
- The disease is considered incurable in most cases, but treatments can significantly extend survival and improve quality of life 1
- Risk-adapted approach provides optimal therapy to patients, ensuring intense therapy for aggressive disease and minimizing toxic effects, providing sufficient but less intense therapy for low-risk disease 1
- The Mayo Stratification for Myeloma and Risk-Adapted Therapy guidelines provide a framework for managing the disease, including therapy for relapsed multiple myeloma 1
From the FDA Drug Label
People with multiple myeloma who receive EMPLICITI with REVLIMID and dexamethasone or EMPLICITI with POMALYST and dexamethasone may develop infections that can be serious Infections Risk of new cancers (malignancies) People with multiple myeloma who receive EMPLICITI with REVLIMID and dexamethasone or EMPLICITI with POMALYST and dexamethasone have a risk of developing new cancers.
Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer because the drug label discusses the risk of new cancers (malignancies) in people with multiple myeloma, implying that multiple myeloma itself is a cancerous condition 2.
From the Research
Definition of Multiple Myeloma
- Multiple myeloma is defined as a bone marrow-based hematological malignancy, accounting for approximately two per cent of cancers 3.
- It is characterized by the growth of tumor cells in the bone marrow, and is a type of B-cell lineage cancer 4, 5.
- Multiple myeloma cells are plasma cells that expand in the bone marrow and interact with the microenvironment, influencing their malignant phenotype 4, 6.
Classification as a Cancer
- Multiple myeloma is classified as an incurable cancer of plasma cells, predominantly located in the bone marrow 7.
- It is a hematologic cancer characterized by clonal proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow 6.
- The disease progresses from early stages, such as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), to multiple myeloma and occasionally extramedullary disease 6.
Key Characteristics
- Multiple myeloma is characterized by distinctive biological features, including the assembly and secretion of large amounts of antibodies, and diverse interactions with the bone marrow microenvironment 7.
- The tumor microenvironment plays a crucial role in multiple myeloma development and progression, with soluble factors and direct cell-cell interactions regulating plasma cell trafficking and homing to the bone marrow niche 6.
- Mesenchymal stromal cells, osteoclasts, osteoblasts, myeloid and lymphoid cells present in the bone marrow create a unique milieu that favors multiple myeloma plasma cell immune evasion and promotes disease progression 6.