Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that affects the plasma cells located in the bone marrow of the body. During an infection, when B cells or B lymphocytes mature, they become plasma cells, which, in turn, are responsible for the production of antibodies or immunoglobulins. Therefore, multiple myeloma is a condition when these plasma cells grow uncontrollably and become cancerous, also producing abnormal proteins like monoclonal immunoglobulin. Ultimately, the excessive proliferation of cells leads to organ failure and death.
Multiple myeloma is the second-most common type of blood cancer, but its detection, diagnosis, and treatment are often challenging because it could resemble several other conditions in the initial stages, and there is no way of precisely distinguishing whether cells will become malignant or not. Statistics show that current blood tests are mostly inaccurate in identifying patients presenting with early symptoms of the disease. For instance, those in the precancerous stages are typically made to “watch and wait,” but, in fact, it was observed that 1% of individuals did actually develop the full disease.
Read more at: https://www.evolving-science.com/bioengineering/myeloma-cells-00891