title: Multiple Myeloma: The Plain English Handbook for Patients and Care Givers
author: Robert J. Heller
description: The only book we know of written for the average patient and car giver which helps to get through many day-to-day problems and answers as many questions as possible. Written by a care giver who is NOT a medical doctor.
zlib_text: MULTIPLE MYELOMA AND OTHER PLASMA CELL DYSCRASIAS
  713
  CHAPTER 33
  Multiple myeloma
  and other plasma
  cell dyscrasias
  Raman Desikan, MD, Sundar Jagannath, MD, Paul Richardson, MD,
  and Nikhil C. Munshi, MD
  MULTIPLE MYELOMA
  Multiple myeloma is a disseminated malignancy of monoclonal plasma cells
  that accounts for 8% of all hematologic cancers. In the year 2003, an estimated
  14,600 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States, and 10,900 Ameri-
  cans will die of this disease. Incidence rates for myeloma (5.3 in men and 3.5 in
  women) and mortality rates (3.7 in men and 2.5 in women) per 100,000 popu-
  lation have remained stable for the past decade.
  Epidemiology
  Gender Males are affected more frequently than females (1.4:1.0 ratio).
  Age The median age at presentation is 65 years, according to most tumor
  registries, although the median age reported in studies is approximately
  60 years.
  Race The annual incidence per 100,000 population is 6.4 among white men
  and 4.1 among white women. Among bl