More about Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that affects plasma cells. Plasma cells are a type of white blood cell found in bone marrow, which is the soft tissue inside most of your bones that produces blood cells. In the bone marrow, plasma cells make antibodies. These are proteins that help your body fight off diseases and infections. Multiple myeloma occurs when an abnormal plasma cell develops in the bone marrow and reproduces itself very quickly. The rapid reproduction of malignant, or cancerous, myeloma cells eventually outweighs the production of healthy cells in the bone marrow. As a result, the cancerous cells begin to accumulate in the bone marrow, crowding out the healthy white blood cells and red blood cells. Like healthy blood cells, cancerous cells try to make antibodies. However, they can only produce abnormal antibodies called monoclonal proteins, or M proteins. When these harmful antibodies collect in the body, they can cause kidney damage and other serious problems. According to Stanford University, multiple myeloma is rare, accounting for only 1 percent of all cancer cases in the United States. About 4 to 5 people out of 100,000 are diagnosed with this type of cancer each year.