Only 10% of the total number of patients with myeloma live with this disease for many years. Alas, in other cases, this ailment progresses faster. What is dangerous myeloma? The answer is the author of this article.
Content
Multiple myeloma is an oncological disease, the morphological basis of which plasma cells are. According to the available international classification, this disease is characterized by a low degree of malignancy.
The causes of the disease are unknown, however, it is known that both the ecology and ionizing radiation and other harmful factors can be compromising for this disease.
Myeloma disease is more often found in farmers, carpets, tanners and people working with petroleum products. There are also data on the existence of a hereditary predisposition to the development of myeloma.
The incidence of myelomic disease around the world is about the same and amounts to 4: 100,000 per year; With age, it grows (after 25 years - 30: 100000). Up to 40 years illness is rare; Half of patients at the time of diagnosis older than 68 years.
Myelomatic disease is a disease in which the transformation of plasma cells occurs, their expansion with infiltration of bone marrow, the destruction of bone tissue and the suppression of normal blood formation.
The clinical picture depends on the severity of the disease. When defeating the bones, pain in the back is often noted, breast pain, pathological problems. The most frequent symptom of myeloma, which is observed by almost 70% of patients - bone pain. Usually they are localized in ribs and spine (pains are provoked by movements). Permanent localized pain in myelomic disease is usually associated with a pathological fracture.
Almost all patients revealed anemia. With the vast defeat of the bones there is a decrease in the level of calcium in the blood. Often noted violation of kidney function. It is also possible to reduce blood coagulation with the development of bleeding. One of the formidable lesions is ischemic damage to the central nervous system.
A serious complication of myeloma disease is bacterial infections (pneumonia, pyelonephritis, etc.). Approximately a quarter of patients infections appear at the beginning of the disease, more than 75% they are severe. The inclination to infections is associated with a violation of an immune response caused by the characteristics of the main disease.
Only in 10% of cases, myeloma disease flows for years and progresses very slowly.
The overwhelming majority of patients require treatment, which is aimed at an increase in life expectancy, prevention of complications and a decrease in the severity of symptoms. As a rule, chemotherapy is carried out to suppress tumor growth, and symptomatic treatment aimed at preventing complications.
Rauchery therapy for myelomic disease is used mainly with a palliative purpose - to reduce pain in the damage to bones, including with pathological fractures. Currently, there is data on the effectiveness of bone marrow transplantation for the treatment of multiple myeloma, which leads to long-term remission in 25-60% of patients (according to various clinical centers).
It is known that at the young age, the treatment of this disease is more efficient than in older age.
The 5-year survival rate of patients with myeloma depends on the process stage and is 50% at 1, 40% at 2 and 10-25% - at 3 stages of the tumor.
