Myeloma also known as multiple myeloma is not leukemia although both leukemia and myeloma are blood cancers but they are distinct conditions.
Leukemia is a type of cancer of white blood cells themselves, and there are also different types of leukemia, like acute myeloid leukemia or AML and chronic lymphocytic leukemia or CLL.
Multiple myeloma or myeloma is cancer of plasma cells, which are white blood cells which produce antibodies and it mainly affects your bone marrow.
The final stages of myeloma results in severe symptoms and severe complications which often result in a decline in the persons quality of life as well as potential death due to kidney failure or infections.
In the final stages of myeloma the treatment often shifts to palliative care to manage the symptoms and improve a persons comfort.
Late stage or final stage myeloma also known as multiple myeloma is also known as stage III which is the stage that most people are at when diagnosed with myeloma or multiple myeloma.
The dying process of myeloma also known as multiple myeloma starts by a decline in the body's ability to function and then results in various complications and ultimately, failure of organs.
Myeloma does not cause death directly, but instead myeloma also known as multiple myeloma weakens your body and makes your body vulnerable to infections as well as other health issues which can become fatal.
Myeloma cells crowd out your healthy blood cells in your bone marrow, which includes your white blood cells that are crucial for fighting infections.
This makes you highly susceptible to infections such as pneumonia, which can be a direct cause of death.
The cancerous cells in myeloma also produce abnormal proteins which can damage your organs and most particularly your kidneys which leads to kidney failure.
Myeloma also weakens your bones and causes pain and increasing the risk of bone fractures and as myeloma progresses you may experience increased exhaustion, weight loss, difficulty drinking and eating, confusion and changes in breathing patterns.
The aggressive phase of myeloma also known as multiple myeloma is Stage 3 myeloma which is the most aggressive form and stage of myeloma.
Aggressive forms and phases of myeloma may also require more intensive treatment sch as CAR T cell therapy or even specific antibodies.
The good news about multiple myeloma is that while there's no cure for multiple myeloma there have also been recent advancements in treatment for multiple myeloma which can and have significantly improved peoples outcomes and have extended a persons life expectancy with multiple myeloma.
New drugs for multiple myeloma are bispecific antibodies as well as CAR T-Cell therapy which have promising results in managing multiple myeloma and helps to achieve longer periods of remission.
The causes of death with multiple myeloma is often a result of complications such as severe infections and kidney failure and not the actual myeloma itself.
Multiple myeloma has a 5 year survival rate "for some people depending on their age" after diagnoses although multiple myeloma is not always a death sentence now due to modern treatments which have dramatically improved survival rates in people with multiple myeloma.
Although older people with multiple myeloma may only live a few years or less with multiple myeloma even with treatment.
But many people now live for 10 years or more and some have achieved sustained remission from multiple myeloma.
Multiple myeloma is classed as a terminal illness as even with treatment multiple myeloma does eventually result in death as there's no cure for multiple myeloma but treatments can help improve a persons quality of life and extend their lifespan with multiple myeloma.
The average survival time for multiple myeloma is 5 to 7 years with treatment although some people have lived longer and others may live shorter lifespans with multiple myeloma even with treatment depending on the persons age, overall health and the persons response to the treatments.
Life expectancy with multiple myeloma varies depending the extent of the multiple myeloma and how far it has advanced, a persons overall health, age and even response to treatment.
For some older people the treatment for multiple myeloma may not be best and could worsen the quality of life for someone of advanced age and for others who are younger, the treatments could help extend their life and may improve the persons quality of life.
Older people with multiple myeloma may only live a few years or less with multiple myeloma and others may live 5 years to 10 or even 20 years or longer with treatment for the multiple myeloma.
The organ that is most affected by multiple myeloma is sometimes your kidneys.
Although multiple myeloma mainly affects your bone marrow and bones but it can also affect other organs and most particularly the kidneys.
The abnormal plasma cells in multiple myeloma interfere with your normal bone marrow function and cause bone damage and can also lead to kidney problems.
Multiple myeloma cells grow in your bone marrow and result in destruction of the bones also called osteolytic lesions and osteoporosis and it can result in bone pain, fractures and spinal cord compression and it can also affect the spine, skull, ribs and pelvis.
Your bone marrow is the main site of myeloma cell proliferation and it interferes with the production of healthy blood cells, which lead to anemia and increased susceptibility to infection.
And the abnormal proteins that are produced by myeloma cells can also damage your kidneys and result in kidney problems and even kidney failure and is often a result of buildup of the proteins in the kidneys.
Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer which starts in your plasma cells.
The cancer associated with multiple myeloma starts in your plasma cells that are a type of white blood cells that are found in your bone marrow.
The white blood cells normally produce antibodies to fight off infections, but with multiple myeloma, the white blood cells grow out of control and can form tumors, that are often in your bone marrow.
When the plasma cells become cancerous, they are then called myeloma cells and the cells grow uncontrollably and accumulate in your bone marrow.
Multiple Myeloma refers to the presence of multiple tumors or myelomas in your bone marrow and if there is only one plasma cell tumor, it is called a solitary plasmacytoma.
The symptoms of multiple myeloma are unexplained weight loss, frequent infections, fatigue, mental fogginess or confusion, loss of appetite, constipation, nausea and bone pain that occurs mostly in the spine or chest.
The life expectancy of someone with multiple myeloma ranges from as low as 29 months to as long as 62 months depending on how far advanced the multiple myeloma is.
You can live 20 years and sometimes longer with multiple myeloma.
However some people may live much longer than the life expectancy of multiple myeloma.
The median length of survival after diagnosis with multiple myeloma is 62 months for Stage I, 44 months for Stage II, and 29 months for Stage III.
Life expectancy depends on many factors, including the person's age, health, kidney function, and more.
There have been some people who have lived 20 years and a bit longer when they've been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
The 10 year survival rate for multiple myeloma is 30%.
When people have multiple myeloma they have around a 30 percent survival rate with the multiple myeloma but with treatment you can usually increase your survival rate.