Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0026764 (multiple myeloma)
 36,148 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Extramedullary involvement of myelomas is common but invasion of myeloma cells into the pleural cavity and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is rare. We report an aggressive case of multiple myelomas (Bence Jones lambda type) with pleural and meningeal infiltration. A 66-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of anemia, thrombocytopenia, and dyspnea. His peripheral blood contained 2% bizarre plasma cells. Bone marrow biopsy specimens and immunoelectrophoresis confirmed the diagnosis. A chest radiograph disclosed pleural effusion in both lungs containing M-protein and numerous abnormal cells. The patient also suffered from disorientation, speech disorder, and muscle weakness. A lumbar puncture revealed atypical plasma cells in CSF. Four courses of chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisolone) and the intrathecal administration of methotrexate and cytarabine at 3-week intervals were effective in decreasing the pleural effusions and eliminating plasma cells from CSF. Nonetheless a chest wall tumor, pelvic mass, and pneumonia developed, and the patient died 5 months after initial presentation. Pleural infiltration of myeloma cells and multiple lesions with plasma cell involvement were discovered at autopsy.
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PMID:[A case of aggressive myeloma with abnormal plasmocytes in pleural effusion and cerebrospinal fluid]. 1006 92

Multiple myeloma is characterized by the presence of bone pain, weakness, and fatigue. Ninety-eight percent of patients have an M-protein in the serum or urine at the time of diagnosis. Skeletal roentgenograms are abnormal in nearly 80%. Renal insufficiency (creatinine > or = 2 mg/dL) is present in one-fourth. The major causes of renal insufficiency are "myeloma kidney" and hypercalcemia. The diagnosis of multiple myeloma depends upon the presence of more than 10% plasma cells or a plasmacytoma plus an M-protein in the serum or urine or lytic bone lesions. Multiple myeloma must be differentiated from monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and smoldering multiple myeloma. The plasma cell labeling index and the presence of circulating plasma cells in the peripheral blood are helpful in the differential diagnosis. Plasma cell leukemia, osteosclerotic myeloma (POEMS syndrome), and plasmacytomas are discussed. The heavy-chain diseases consist of alpha, gamma, and mu heavy-chain disease. The fibrils of primary amyloidosis consist of kappa or lambda monoclonal light chains. Weakness, fatigue, and weight loss are the most frequent symptoms. Macroglossia occurs in 10%. An M-protein is found in the serum or urine in 90%. The presence of nephrotic syndrome, renal insufficiency, congestive heart failure, orthostatic hypotension, or sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy, and an M-protein in the serum or urine suggest the possibility of primary amyloidosis. The diagnosis depends upon the demonstration of amyloid in tissues. The subcutaneous fat aspirate is positive in 80% while the bone marrow is positive in 55%. If these tissues are negative, one should obtain tissue from an involved organ.
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PMID:Clinical aspects of multiple myeloma and related disorders including amyloidosis. 1019 81

In the literature, fewer than 40 cases of IgE myeloma have been described. We report the first Norwegian case, an 80-year-old man presenting with progressive weakness, dyspnea and dizziness. With the exception of hypersedimentation, routine chemistry values were within reference limits. Plasma cells were not observed in the peripheral blood. Serum protein electrophoresis showed a monoclonal protein in the gammaglobulin fraction. Immunofixation confirmed the presence of an IgE kappa monoclonal protein. A bone marrow biopsy revealed an interstitial and nodular infiltration of abnormal plasma cells comprising 40% of nucleated cells present. Skeletal roentgenograms of this patient showed osteolytic lesions in the skull and in the left pubic arc. The findings for this patient were compared with the previous reports of IgE myeloma.
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PMID:IgE myeloma: a case presentation and a review of the literature. 1061 56

From 1990 to 1996, 21 patients with sacral tumor were surgically, including 8 cases with giant tumor of bone, 7 cases of spinal cord tumor, each 2 cases of neurofibroma and adenoma, 1 case of myeloma and 1 case of lipoma with low grade of malignancy. A total of 22 operations involving one for recurrent tumors in 21 cases were performed. Sacral resection and curettage plus resection were the surgical ways. 19 patients were followed up with an average period of 2.5 years. 15 patients showed good results, 3 patients occurred urinary incontinence and constipation, one of 3 cases occurred weakness of ankles and feet. Authors conclude that surgery should be advised and actively adopted for sacral tumors.
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PMID:[Surgical treatment of sacral tumor]. 1068 43

The contemporary presence of organomegaly, skin manifestations, polyneuropathy, endocrinopathy and monoclonal component characterises the POEMS syndrome, often associated with osteosclerotic myeloma and Castelman's disease and more frequent in the Japanese. Clinical manifestations seem to be related to the production of many interleukins, mainly IL-1, IL-6 and TNF. Several endocrinopathies have been described, the most frequent being diabetes. Only one previous case of hypoparathyroidism associated with the syndrome has been described in medical reviews. Polyneuropathy is often sensitivo-motory and skin disease accounts for Raynaud phenomenon, skin pigmentation, hypertricosis and others. We describe the case of a 74-year-old man who underwent clinical examination for weakness mainly in the legs. Clinical and instrumental data showed rhabdomyolysis due to hypoparathyroidism. The contemporary presence of a monoclonal band of light chains on proteic electrophoresis, organomegaly and distal leg neuropathy allowed us to make a diagnosis of POEMS syndrome.
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PMID:A man with worsening weakness. 1078 Jan 92

Myositis associated with graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) typically presents with proximal muscle weakness, myalgias, and a raised creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) level. We report a case of a 51 year old man who developed respiratory muscle weakness five years after an allogeneic bone marrow transplant for multiple myeloma. His symptoms included tachypnoea, abdominal paradox, and orthopnoea. Pulmonary function tests revealed diminished vital capacity and maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures. Serum CPK levels were raised and a peripheral muscle biopsy specimen was consistent with GVHD. He improved with immunosuppressive therapy.
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PMID:Myositis associated graft-versus-host-disease presenting as respiratory muscle weakness. 1112 Sep 11

The association of sarcoidosis with Hodgkin disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma is well known. However, multiple myeloma also can occur rarely in association with sarcoidosis. We describe a patient with sarcoidosis who subsequently developed multiple myeloma. The patient was a 49-year-old woman with a 4-year history of severe, chronic, active sarcoidosis involving her lungs, lymph nodes, eyes, and bone marrow. During the initial clinical workup, a serum monoclonal paraprotein was detected and bone marrow examination revealed a slight increase in plasma cells (4%), in addition to noncaseating granulomas. Thus, the diagnoses of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and sarcoidosis were established simultaneously. She sought medical attention for her current illness when she developed low back pain and weakness of her lower extremities. Serum protein electrophoresis and immunofixation revealed a monoclonal paraprotein, immunoglobulin (Ig) G kappa type, and quantification revealed an IgG level of 46.67 g/L (normal, 5.88--15.73 g/L). Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy revealed multiple myeloma and sarcoidosis. Including this patient, 11 cases of sarcoidosis and multiple myeloma have been reported to date, including 3 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance preceding the onset of multiple myeloma. In this case, as in most of the cases reported previously, sarcoidosis preceded the development of multiple myeloma.
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PMID:Multiple myeloma in association with sarcoidosis. 1186 Mar 17

In a 52-year-old man with general malaise, muscle stiffness and weakness, POEMS-syndrome was diagnosed based on polyneuropathy, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, subclinical hypothyroidism and the presence of a monoclonal paraprotein with osteosclerotic lesions and an indurated skin (POEMS is an acronym for Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal protein, Skin changes). This is a rare systemic disease from the clinical spectrum of plasma cell dyscrasias with polyneuropathy. The clinical picture is broader and more pleomorphic than the acronym suggests. The possibility of a POEMS syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis of polyneuropathy in association with monoclonal gammopathy. Quite often it is associated with osteosclerotic myeloma or mixed osteoscleroticlytic lesions. The patient described was treated with high dose corticosteroids which were gradually decreased over the next three months, upon which a marked improvement could be seen. The general malaise subsided, as did the splenomegaly, and the skin became supple again.
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PMID:[A man with plasma cell dyscrasia and polyneuropathy due to POEMS syndrome]. 1187 37

Questionnaires on the quality of life and tolerance of different parts of maintenance treatment were sent to a total of 83 patients with multiple myeloma. All patients were for more than one year on maintenance treatment which involved either interferon alpha monotherapy (I), 3 million u. three times per week till signs of relapse developed or sequence administration of interferon alpha and dexamethazone 40 mg on day 1 to 4, 10 to 13 and 20 to 23 and then after a four-week interval again interferon alpha, again till progression of the disease occurred. The patients evaluated the presence or absence of different undesirable effects of treatment during the first two weeks of treatment and throughout the year and listed their intensity into four categories defined in the questionnaire. The quality of life was evaluated by means of a basic module of the questionnaire of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire version 3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30). The results of the questionnaire are to a certain extent surprising as from the patients' answers ensues that this maintenance treatment is associated with more numerous undesirable effects than the physicians realized when in contact with the patient. In this summary we can list only the most frequent effects (deterioration of eyesight, impaired sleep, depressions, irritability and unrest, chill, pain in muscles and joints, general weakness and dyspnoea). From the questionnaires on the quality of life ensues a markedly poorer quality of life of these patients as compared with the healthy population. There are however no basic differences between individual groups. The questionnaires were handed only to patients who had maintenance treatment for more than one year and thus patients were eliminated where maintenance treatment was discontinued because of undesirable effects. To give a general idea of the tolerance of the above maintenance treatment the authors mention that to the date of Aug. 31, 2001 113 patients were randomized into one of the branches of maintenance treatment. Maintenance treatment had to be discontinued in 6% patients (in two instances on account of severe hypothyroidism, in one case on account of hallucinations, in three instances on account of severe mental depression caused by this treatment). Reduction of interferon doses in 20% patients usually because of cytopenia but also on account of psychic problem. To the question what length of prolongation of life compensates the undesirable effects of maintenance treatment the following replies were obtained from patients receiving ID, possibly I: 3 months--47.6 and 38.3%, 6 months--4.3 and 10.6%, 9 months--0 and 4.3%, 12 months--47.6 and 46.8% of the addressed patients. In reply to the question whether the patients would prefer, assuming equal effectiveness, a maintenance monotherapy with interferon alpha or dexamethazone more patients preferred interferon to dexamethasone. For practice ensues from this article informing on undesirable effects of maintenance treatment and the effect of maintenance treatment on the quality of life: 1. the necessity of thorough knowledge of physicians of all possible undesirable effects as only a doctor knowing possible undesirable effects of treatment can recognize them, 2. regular monitoring not only of the activity of the basic disease, but also undesirable effects of maintenance treatment and the influence of treatment on the patients' quality of life, 3. the necessity to assess the quality of life in clinical trials as an important parameter for deciding on the way of treatment.
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PMID:[Quality of life and tolerance of maintenance therapy in patients with multiple myeloma]. 1196 83

Anemia is prevalent among cancer patients with hematologic malignancies, with fatigue and weakness, major symptoms of anemia, contributing to diminished quality of life (QOL). Data from several randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials and three large community-based studies in patients with hematologic malignancies indicate that recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO, epoetin alfa) can correct anemia, reduce transfusion requirements, and improve QOL. Moreover, a positive relationship has been found between increased hemoglobin (Hb) levels and improvements in QOL assessments, regardless of disease state, with the greatest incremental improvement occurring when Hb increases from 11 g/dL to 12 g/dL (range, 11 to 13 g/dL). This suggests that patients with mild-to-moderate anemia may achieve the greatest QOL benefit from epoetin alfa therapy. Evidence from community-based studies suggests that epoetin alfa administered once weekly has a similar safety and efficacy profile as three-times-weekly administration. Further research is ongoing with less frequent dosing regimens. The beneficial effects of epoetin alfa therapy have been reported in studies involving patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma, and lymphomas. Evidence also exists that epoetin alfa can benefit patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), although these results have not been as impressive. Combining epoetin alfa with other cytokine growth factors may confer some additional benefit in these patients, but more rigorous investigation is required.
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PMID:Epoetin alfa as a supportive measure in hematologic malignancies. 1244 49


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