A bone marrow transplant can sometimes cure Waldenstrom's, especially in younger people but it's not a common treatment for Waldenstrom's.
The blood forming stem cells used for a transplant come either from the blood or from the bone marrow.
Waldenstrom's is sometimes painful when the large proteins clump in cooler parts of the body, such as the tip of the nose, ears, toes and fingers and blocks the blood vessels which cause pain.
Waldenstron's can cause itchy skin when the paraprotein attacks the skin as it can cause itchy bumps, hives and blisters.
Waldenstrom's can also cause back pain in some people and can also cause cytopenia, hyperviscosity syndrome, hepatosplenomegaly and lymphadenopathy.
The life expectancy of someone of a person with Waldenstrom's disease also known as Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia is around 12 years.
87 percent of people with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia liver 12 years after being diagnosed and 68 percent of people with Waldenstrom's disease live at least 5 years to 8 years.
The median survival of Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia is 8 years.
Waldenstrom's disease does metastasize and by the time someone is diagnosed with Waldenstrom's disease it can already be in the blood and bone marrow and can then spread to the spleen, liver and lymph nodes.
In rare cases Waldenstrom's disease can also metastasize in the intestines, lungs, skin, thyroid gland and stomach.
Waldenstrom's can cause weight loss as well as loss of appetite, swollen or enlarged lymph nodes or spleen, peripheral neuropathy, numbness or tingling in your feet or hands.
Waldenstrom's cannot be cured although it is treatable and the treatments for Waldenstrom's disease can help keep it under control and slow the spreading and progression of Waldenstrom's.
Not everyone with Waldenstrom's disease will need treatment right away and some people are diagnosed with Waldenstrom's disease before they have symptoms.
The symptoms of Waldenstrom's disease are.
Weakness.
Headaches.
Stroke-like symptoms: Confusion, loss of coordination, dizziness.
Vision problems.
Excessive bleeding, nosebleeds, bleeding gums.
Unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite.
Fevers.
Heavy night sweats.
Waldenstrom's disease is an uncommon type of blood cell cancer which originates from malignant B cells..
The Waldenstrom's disease is a slow growing type of non Hodgkin lymphoma and mostly forms in the bone marrow and can slow the normal growth of blood cells which can then lead to anemia and also a weakened immune systme.
Waldenstrom's disease most often affects people 65 and older, causing symptoms like fatigue that some people may dismiss as simply signs they're growing old.
When left untreated, the Waldenstrom's disease may cause life-threatening medical issues.
The most common signs and symptoms to first appear in people with Waldenström macroglobulinemia are weakness and extreme tiredness (fatigue) caused by a shortage of red blood cells (anemia).
Affected individuals can also experience general symptoms such as fever, night sweats, and weight loss.
The most important causes of death in Waldenström macroglobulinemia include progression of the proliferative process, infection, cardiac failure, renal failure, strokes, and GI bleeding.
Transformation to a more aggressive immunoblastic variant is less common (6% of cases).