What is Multiple Myeloma?

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by the neoplastic proliferation of a single clone of plasma cells producing a monoclonal immunoglobulin. This clone of plasma cells proliferates in the bone marrow and often results in extensive skeletal destruction with osteolytic lesions, osteopenia, and/or pathologic fractures.


That is the medical jargon. Now for a simpler explanation: Bone Marrow contains all kinds of cells that are important for generating blood and all of its ingredients. One of those ingredients are called plasma cells. These plasma cells should make up less than 10% of the total ingredients. People who have multiple myeloma have an overgrowth of plasma cells. Too much of a good thing causes problems and can cause calcium imbalances which can lead to bone destruction and fractures that occur when they should not occur (pathologic fractures). 


In Jodi's case she broke her ribs "from coughing" which was worrisome and ultimately helped lead to her diagnosis. One should not fracture ribs from coughing. 


If MM is left unchecked the overgrowth of plasma cells will continue to wreak havoc on the blood which hurts the immune system as well. Ultimately individuals left untreated will have multiple fractures including debilitating spinal fractures and become immunocompromised which leads to infections.


Staging Multiple Myeloma
Fortunately, much progress has been made on the treatment of MM. In the 1970's there was a staging system created where patients were staged I, II or III. Stage I having the best prognosis and Stage III having the worst prognosis. For the most part this staging system has been abandoned for MM due to a better understanding of the disease itself and the realization that the staging system was not that accurate and looked at factors that ultimately do not relate to prognosis. 


Jodi's case is not considered aggressive nor is it considered mild but rather somewhere in between closer to moderate to mild. Regardless her treatment will be the same. 


In modern medicine / more cutting edge medicine MM now is not staged and all newly diagnosed patients are often put on aggressive treatments regardless of the degree of the disease. In Jodi's case she has been fortunate enough to be involved in a center that specializes in the treatment of MM and takes an aggressive treatment approach to quickly stomp out the disease and knock it into remission. 


The treatment includes 3 medications that she will take in 3 cycles, 21 days on and 7 days off (3 months = 3 cycles) and then she will receive an autologous bone-marrow transplant, which is a bone-marrow transplant made from her own health stem cells. She will not require suppressive medication to avoid rejection since it will be her own  healthy bone-marrow.


More on her specific treatment later.  


This is a quick brief explanation and there will be more details to follow