Multiple Myeloma Screening

One reason is that patients with multiple myeloma do not have any symptoms until the cancer reaches an advanced stage. There are times when vague symptoms are felt, but they can often be misdiagnosed as something else. Some of these symptoms may include:

• Anemia, or low blood counts
• Extreme fatigue
• Muscle weakness
• Bone problems and/or pain
• Sudden, severe back pain
• Increase in infections

Oftentimes, multiple myeloma is detected when a routine blood test detects a high amount of protein in the blood. This is known as an incidental diagnosis. Winship’s myeloma experts are working to develop efficient multiple myeloma screening options. Being able to correctly diagnose and stage multiple myeloma is essential to treatment success.

Multiple myeloma is very rare, but there are certain factors that may put someone at an increased risk. These risk factors include:

• Other plasma cell diseases — If a person has other plasma cell diseases, they are at an increased risk of developing multiple myeloma. These plasma cell diseases include:
  • Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) — About 1% of people with MGUS will go on to develop one of these diseases each year.
  • Solitary plasmacytoma — A type of abnormal plasma cell growth that typically occurs in the bone.
• Older age — The disease is most common in people over the age of 65.
• Gender — Men have a slightly higher risk of developing multiple myeloma than women.
• Race — African Americans are more than twice as likely as white Americans to be diagnosed with this form of cancer.
• Family history — Chances of developing multiple myeloma are higher in people with a genetic predisposition for this cancer.
• Being overweight or obese — The risk increases if a person is overweight or obese.

If you have any of the above risk factors, speak with your doctor to understand whether you should have a diagnostic blood test for multiple myeloma.

If a person has signs or symptoms that might be multiple myeloma, further tests can be done to gather more information. Tests for multiple myeloma include:

• Blood tests. These include a complete blood count (CBC) and blood chemistry tests. A CBC measures the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in the blood. A blood chemistry test measures the levels of creatinine, albumin, calcium and other electrolytes in the blood.
• Urine test. A urine sample can be helpful to detect the amount of myeloma protein that has been filtered by the kidneys.
• Quantitative immunoglobulins. This is a blood test for multiple myeloma that measures immunoglobulins, or antibodies, that are present in the blood. These include IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM. If any of these antibodies are abnormally high, it could be an indicator of multiple myeloma.
• Electrophoresis. Another blood test for multiple myeloma that detects monoclonal antibodies, an indicator that multiple myeloma may be present.
• Bone marrow biopsy. A bone marrow biopsy extracts a tissue sample of bone marrow to test it for high levels of plasma cells. The sample is then analyzed by a bone marrow specialist.
• Advanced imaging tests. Imaging tests use a variety of advanced techniques (sound waves, X-rays, magnetic fields and radioactive substances) to create detailed images of the inside of your body. These include:
  • Bone X-rays: Often called a bone survey, these X-rays can look at whether the bone has been damaged by myeloma cells.
  • Computed tomography (CT): CT scans can show whether multiple myeloma has damaged the bone.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): MRI can be used to look at the bone marrow in multiple myeloma patients.
  • Positron emission tomography (PET): This type of imaging test injects a patient with a form of radioactive sugar that is absorbed by cancer cells. A special camera is then used to detect the cancer. PET scans are often combined with CT scans.