Hematologic Malignancies Program

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Multiple Myeloma

What Is Multiple Myeloma?

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Multiple myeloma is the most common of a group of diseases called plasma cell neoplasms. Plasma cell neoplasms result when certain cells in the blood (called plasma cells) become cancerous. Plasma cells are made in the bone marrow by white blood cells called lymphocytes. The plasma cells make antibodies, which help fight infection in the body.

Usually, bone marrow contains only about two percent plasma cells. But when a person has multiple myeloma, the body keeps making more and more abnormal plasma cells, called myeloma cells, and they make more and more antibodies. These extra cells do not help fight off infection; instead, they stop the body from making normal infection-fighting antibodies and crowd out normal cells.

The cancer cells collect in the bone marrow and slowly destroy the bone. Myeloma cells also trigger the release of bone-weakening chemicals that lead to bone destruction and bone pain and can collect in the bone to make small tumors called plasmacytomas.

This page was last updated on: October 7, 2009.