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Questions and discussion about smoldering myeloma (i.e., diagnosis, risk of progression, potential treatment, etc.)

Re: Nervous - high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma?

by Michelle76 on Sat Apr 23, 2016 1:31 pm

Yes, I have seen a neurologist. I have peripheral neuropathy and damage to the nerves in my elbow but no damage coming from the neck. It seems like an immflamatory response. I break out in sweats, fevers, fatigue, flushing, rashes. I have seen rheumatologist and internal medicine as well. I was not sick at all before a few years ago. I think paraneoplastic syndrome is just a thought at this point.

Michelle76
Name: Michelle
Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering 2014
Age at diagnosis: 38

Re: Nervous - high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma?

by jhorner on Sat Apr 23, 2016 3:37 pm

Hello,

I'm sorry for your obvious pain and discomfort. It sounds to me as though your oncologist is on to something with the paraneoplastic response to your myeloma. I know someone with myeloma who had 30% plasma cells in the marrow and a small M-spike and had a paraneoplastic response and her symptoms were much like your own - fevers, neuropathy. The specialist at DFCI treated the underlying myeloma and she is better now.

Here is a quote from a an article on this topic indicating that this is most common with cancers that affect the immune system. I often thought I had something like this as well because IVIG really helps my symptoms of smoldering myeloma that we are not suppose to have:)

"Finding an associated neoplasm can support the diagnosis of a PND, but as noted above, in most patients the PND precedes the cancer diagnosis. The tumors more frequently associated with PNDs are those that express neuroendocrine proteins, such as small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) or neuroblastoma, those that affect organs with immunoregulatory functions (thymoma), and those that are derived from cells that produce immunoglobulins (plasma cell dyscrasias, B-cell lymphomas)"

Here is the link to the page with full text:

Rosenfeld, M.R. and Dalmau, J. "Update on Paraneoplastic Neurologic Disorders," The Oncologist, May 2010 (full text of article)

Best
J

jhorner
Name: Magpie
Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
When were you/they diagnosed?: 2013
Age at diagnosis: 49

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