Myeloma (plasmacytoma or myeloma disease) is a rare but dangerous and difficult to cure cancer that affects blood plasma cells (B-lymphocytes) which are responsible for producing antibodies to fight foreign bodies and cancer cells. The disease localizes in the bone marrow, thus in its final stages it causes structural changes in the bones and disability.
Oncologists and hematologists in Israeli clinics actively use advanced methods of myeloma treatment, including highly effective immunotherapy with CAR-T-cells. This allows to achieve complete remission in 95% of cases. At late stages, Israeli doctors use intensive therapy, which not only relieves symptoms, but also significantly improves the quality of life of multiple myeloma patients.
Risk factors
The causes of myeloma are still not fully understood, however there are some clinically confirmed patterns and common risk factors for any hematooncological disease.
- Elderly people more than 70 years old suffer from myeloma more often than younger people. The rate of myeloma patients under 40 years old is about 1% of all observed cases.
- African race patients have plasmacytoma twice as often as Europeans.
- Radioactive contamination and work in hazardous industries with constant contact with industrial carcinogens can also cause hematooncological disease.
It is also not uncommon to find an inheritance link between myeloma disease patients in the same family.
Symptoms of myeloma
At the first stage, there are almost no signs of plasmacytoma. With the progression of the multiple myeloma disease characteristic symptoms appear.
- Pathologic fractures.
- Bone pain and numbness of the extremities.
- Decreased hemoglobin levels and increased viscosity with thrombosis.
- Increased calcium levels in blood due to bone destruction.
- Myeloma nephropathy – kidney damage by calcium nodules that enter kidneys from the blood due to bone destruction.
- Frequent infectious diseases due to a lack of healthy, full-fledged B-lymphocytes that produce antibodies to viruses and bacteria.
There are also a number of indirect symptoms that are common to almost any cancer: unexplained loss of appetite and weight, weakness and fatigue, confusion and difficulty thinking. Sometimes myeloma disease may be accompanied by nausea, constipation and excessive thirst.
Diagnosis
If myeloma is suspected, after a physical examination, the doctor will refer the patient for additional tests.
- Blood and urine laboratory tests.
- Computerized, magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography (CT, MRI and PET).
- Radiographic examination of the bones of the entire skeleton to determine the localization of cancer cells in the bone marrow.
- Bone marrow biopsy.
Additionally, the doctor may prescribe an immunofluorescence assay to detect the abnormal protein that cancerous B-lymphocytes produce.
Myeloma treatment in Israel
- Gentle chemotherapy with the latest generation of drugs with minimal toxic side effects on healthy organs.
- Radiation therapy.
- Targeted drugs – medicines that attack exclusively cancer cells at the molecular level.
- Immunotherapy (biotherapy).
Immunotherapy is one of the most promising developments, which is actively used in myeloma treatment protocols in clinics in Israel. The therapy is based on stimulating the patient’s own immune response with T-cells to fight plasmacytoma. It is the treatment of myeloma disease with genetically modified CAR-T cells, which have a special gene embedded in their genome that helps to accurately identify cancer cells and destroy them. Israel is one of the few countries where this new safe method of myeloma treatment is being successfully applied, which has made our country a center of medical tourism for myeloma patients from all over the world.