What Is Multiple Myeloma? A Look Inside This Bone Marrow Cancer
In this video, hematologist-oncologist Adriana Rossi, MD, discusses the ins and outs of multiple myeloma and how it spreads in the body.
When you think of a blood cancer, you may automatically think it’s a type of cancer that affects that red stuff coursing through your veins. While that’s not completely incorrect, blood is far more complex than what meets the eye. There are actually many different types of blood cancer that affect different microscopic parts of the blood.
One of these blood cancers is called multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cell, which is a type of white blood cell. These cells live in the bone marrow and are key for healthy immune system function. Normally, those white blood cells make antibodies to help fight off infection.
- Adriana Rossi, MDAdriana Rossi, MD, is the Associate Clinical Director of the Myeloma Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.
References
American Cancer Society. (2018). What is multiple myeloma?
Laubach, J.P. (2022). Multiple myeloma symptoms, diagnosis, and staging. UpToDate.
National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Plasma cell neoplasms (including multiple myeloma)—patient version.