What is the difference between multiple myeloma and amyloidosis?

Multiple myeloma and amyloidosis are two conditions that stem from abnormalities in the plasma cells of the bone marrow. Multiple myeloma causes an overgrowth of abnormal cells, while amyloidosis results in the secretion of abnormal proteins that can build up and damage organs.

Is AL amyloidosis worse than multiple myeloma?

AL amyloidosis probably has a greater impact on the prognosis of smoldering multiple myeloma than on the symptomatic multiple myeloma.

Is light chain amyloidosis the same as multiple myeloma?

Amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis and multiple myeloma (MM) are both clonal plasma cell disorders, and may be concurrently present in patients. However, symptomatic MM seldom develops in patients with AL amyloidosis, while the other way around is common.

What is the life expectancy of amyloidosis?

Average life expectancy varies based on the type of cardiac amyloid (protein), how much the organs are involved and the stage at diagnosis. Based on these factors, the worst case scenario could be six months, while in some cases, life expectancy can be eight to 10 years after diagnosis.

What is the earliest symptom in amyloidosis?

Signs and symptoms of amyloidosis may include: Severe fatigue and weakness. Shortness of breath. Numbness, tingling, or pain in the hands or feet.

Difference between Amyloidosis and Multiple Myeloma

What is the most common cause of death in amyloidosis?

Heart complications are the most common cause of death in patients with amyloidosis. The degree to which amyloidosis affects the heart is important in determining your prognosis. These amyloid deposits are in the kidneys.

Is multiple myeloma a type of amyloidosis?

AL amyloidosis is closely related to a type of bone marrow cancer called "myeloma" or "multiple myeloma," another disease in which identical clones of antibody-producing cells grow rapidly. In multiple myeloma, the main problem is the growth of abnormal cells in the bone marrow.

What are the symptoms of multiple myeloma with amyloidosis?

When amyloidosis is associated with another disease, symptoms may be masked. Symptoms can include: General - Fatigue, loss of weight, weakness. Cardiac - Shortness of breath, dizziness or feeling faint, exercise intolerance, irregular heart rate, palpitations.

What condition most closely resembles multiple myeloma?

Does chemo cure amyloidosis?

For primary amyloid, treatments include the same agents used to treat multiple myeloma, such as chemotherapy, corticosteroid medicines (lenalidomide or thalidomide) and/or bortezomib (Velcade). These treatments slow organ deterioration and some have been shown to prolong life, but none provide a cure.

Do you get chemo for amyloidosis?

Primary amyloidosis (AL) is usually treated with a chemotherapy-based regimen (similar to that used for multiple myeloma) to destroy the abnormal plasma cells that give rise to the amyloid proteins or plaque. Chemotherapy is “systemic” medicine—it interferes with all fast-dividing cells in your body.

Is amyloidosis always terminal?

If diagnosed and treated early on, AL amyloidosis may become a chronic disease. But left untreated, it leads to life-threatening conditions that may be fatal.

How quickly does AL amyloidosis progress?

How long that takes depends on the patient and the affected organ. Typically, 12 to 18 months will pass before amyloid buildup in the heart becomes fatal, while a patient with an affected kidney could live for 5 to 10 years, according to Gertz.

What is the latest treatment for amyloidosis?

For hereditary ATTR amyloidosis, the treatment has been liver transplantation. Since the transthyretin protein which causes hereditary amyloidosis is made in the liver, replacing this organ removes the source of mutant protein production. A new liver will make only normal transthyretin.

Does amyloidosis show up in bone marrow?

AL amyloidosis can cause progressive organ dysfunction and eventually death, mainly due to cardiac involvement. The presence of amyloid deposits in bone marrow is usually detected in trephine biopsy sections, most commonly in vessel walls and sometimes in the interstitium.

What is the prognosis for myeloma and amyloidosis?

There are a few studies to explore the prognostic impact of AL amyloidosis in multiple myeloma. Early studies found poor prognosis in patients with multiple myeloma accompanied by AL amyloidosis, with a median survival time of 1.1 VS 2.9 years in patients without AL amyloidosis.

What are the 3 types of amyloidosis?

The most common types of amyloidosis are: AL (Primary) Amyloidosis. AA (Secondary) Amyloidosis. Familial ATTR Amyloidosis.

What is amyloidosis misdiagnosed with?

Misdiagnoses of ATTR amyloidosis with neuropathy commonly include chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), idiopathic axonal polyneuropathy, lumbar spinal stenosis, diabetic neuropathy, CTS, paraneoplastic neuropathy, monoclonal gammopathy–associated neuropathy, and, more rarely, motor ...

What cancers are associated with amyloidosis?

Amyloidosis is a rare disease affecting about 3,000 patients in the United States each year. Although amyloidosis may be associated with blood cancers such as multiple myeloma, it is not a cancer itself. Amyloidosis results from the buildup of an abnormal protein called amyloid.

How did I get amyloidosis?

There's no known cause, but it happens when your bone marrow makes abnormal antibodies that can't be broken down. It's linked with a blood cancer called multiple myeloma. It can affect your kidneys, heart, liver, intestines, and nerves.

What foods should I avoid with amyloidosis?

Can amyloidosis go into remission?

Treatment. There is no cure for patients with AL amyloidosis but more frequently patients can go into remission with drug therapy. In our experience, the majority of patients surviving the first six months can often start recovering thereafter and can typically live normal or near normal lives for years to come.

Can a blood test detect amyloidosis?

Diagnostic testing for AL amyloidosis involves blood tests, urine tests and biopsies. Blood and/or urine tests can indicate signs of the amyloid protein, but only bone marrow tests or other small biopsy samples of tissue or organs can positively confirm the diagnosis of amyloidosis.

What are the stages of amyloidosis?

The Mayo 2004 staging system uses a TnT cutoff level of 0.035 mcg/L and NT-proBNP level of 332 ng/L to place AL amyloidosis patients into three groups: (1) stage I, normal levels of both, (2) stage II, an elevated level of either but not both, and (3) stage III, elevated levels of both.