Types
There are two main types of Multiple Myeloma, Smoldering and Active.
- Smoldering is also called asymptomatic or indolent myeloma because it shows no symptoms and signs and is slow growing. People need close monitoring every 3-6 months to check for progression.
- Active is also called symptomatic myeloma due to the presence of signs and symptoms. If it is present in the bone or soft tissue, it is termed plasmacytoma.
Several subtypes are identified based on which specific type of immunoglobulin has become cancerous. Our body makes five immunoglobulins (abbreviated "Ig") which are heavy chain proteins: IgG, IgA, IgD, IgE, and IgM. There are two types of light protein chains: kappa or lambda.
The most common type of myeloma is IgG kappa. Some patients only have light chain myeloma, which means there is no heavy chain, this is sometimes called “bence-jones myeloma”. Your doctor will order various tests to correctly identify which types of Myeloma you have so the right treatment can be initiated.
Stages of Multiple Myeloma
According to The Revised International Staging System R-ISS, Multiple Myeloma is divided into 3 stages:
Stages of MM |
Diagnostic Criteria for staging |
Stage I |
I β2-M less than 3.5 mg/L Serum albumin of 3.5 g/dL or more Normal LDH No high-risk chromosome changes in myeloma cells found by FISH test |
Stage II |
Neither stage I or stage III |
Stage III |
β2-M is more than 5.5 mg/L |