What Are The Symptoms Of Multiple Myeloma?

Multiple myeloma is a malignancy that begins in plasma cells, a certain type of white blood cell. Antibodies that recognize and kill germs in the body are produced by plasma cells to help the body fight off infection. Cancerous cells accumulate in the bone marrow and crowd out other healthy cells as a result of multiple myeloma. Cancerous plasma cells do not produce regular antibodies but produce abnormal proteins that do not work correctly. Almost all cases of multiple myeloma begin as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Diagnosis of multiple myeloma is made with the use of blood tests, urine tests, bone marrow biopsy, x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and positron emission tomography scans. Treatment for multiple myeloma may include watchful waiting, targeted therapy, biological therapy, chemotherapy, corticosteroids, bone marrow transplant, radiation therapy, and medications to control complications.

Several symptoms of multiple myeloma exist. Get familiar with them now.

Bone Pain

Bone pain is when an individual feels tenderness, aching, or another form of discomfort in their bone tissues. Bone pain is the most common symptom associated with the development of a malignancy in the bone. Because multiple myeloma is most likely to affect the long bones of an individual's arms and legs, they are also the most common site of bone pain. The bone pain from multiple myeloma may start as an intermittent ache that comes and goes when engaging in physical activity with the affected bone. As the disease progresses, the patient may notice their bone ache becomes more persistent when they are at rest. The painful bone may begin to swell after participation in certain physical activities. An individual affected by multiple myeloma who is unsure of where their pain is coming from may describe it as a deep soreness in their limb.

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Frequent Infections

As mentioned, multiple myeloma is a malignancy that develops in the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies in the body that fight off infection-causing pathogens. White blood cells are a critical component of the immune system and the way it eliminates infection-causing bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. When an individual's immune system becomes compromised in any way, they will be more susceptible to infections because they do not have a strong defense system. Multiple myeloma patients have a shortage of functional plasma cells because the cancerous cells crowd them out and cause them to become non-functional. Instead of producing helpful antibodies to help fight against infection-causing pathogens, the cancerous plasma cells produce abnormal proteins that do not contribute to the actions of the immune system. This malfunction allows those with multiple myeloma to experience more frequent infections than an unaffected individual.

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Loss Of Appetite

Several symptoms are seen in individuals affected by almost all forms of cancer, including multiple myeloma. One such symptom is a loss of appetite. Cancerous cells in the body require glucose, oxygen, and other nutrients to carry out their functions the same way healthy cells need these nutrients. However, cancerous cells grow and divide much quicker than healthy cells do, inducing a process that creates a large number of malignant cells in the body compared to the number of healthy cells. The cancerous cells use up all the nutrients and calories absorbed from the food the affected individual consumes, leaving little left for the healthy cells to utilize to produce energy. This lack of energy causes processes in the body to slow down, such as digestion. When food stagnates in the digestive system, the patient can experience a loss of appetite.

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Chronic Fatigue

One of the most common symptoms observed in individuals affected by cancer, including multiple myeloma, is chronic fatigue and weakness. The prevalence of these symptoms is not surprising because malignant tumors are made of cells. All cells require energy, which is produced by processes that require nutrients like glucose and oxygen. Cancerous cells use up a greater amount of glucose at a quicker rate than healthy cells do because they are constantly growing and dividing. Due to this property of cancerous cells, healthy cells become deprived of the nutrients needed to produce enough cellular energy to carry out their differentiated functions. This lack of energy causes the body to implement a mechanism to compensate for the reduced amount of energy, where ATP is allocated to organs vital to sustaining life. This process takes energy from non-critical cells like those that form the limb muscles to cater to the cells of vital organs. This redistribution of energy causes a multiple myeloma patient to experience chronic fatigue.

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Nausea

One of the most common causes of nausea in multiple myeloma patients is the development of an infection in the digestive tract. Individuals who have multiple myeloma have decreased immune system functionality because plasma cells do not produce enough functional antibodies. Antibodies protect an individual from pathogens that can cause an infection. Without essential defenses, an affected individual is more susceptible to infections of all kinds, including those that occur in the stomach from foreign pathogens and those that develop in the intestines from gut bacteria overgrowth. When an infection occurs in the stomach or intestines, it causes the organs to experience inflammation that can trigger nausea. A cancer patient may also experience nausea from a slow-moving digestive system when cancerous cells leave no nutrients for the healthy cells to produce the energy needed to propel food along at a normal rate.