Chapter 11 The Blood 345 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Multiple myeloma is a treatable but incurable condition. Treatment methods include steroid drugs, chemotherapy, and stem cell transplants. Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the United States, accounting for 15% of all blood cancer cases. Each year, this disease affects between 1 and 4 out of every 100,000 people. African-Americans are twice as likely as Caucasians to develop multiple myeloma. Survival rates continue to improve as a result of new drug therapies and stem cell transplant techniques. A complete blood count is often used to help diagnose leukemia. This disease increases the number of WBCs and decreases platelet and hemoglobin counts. A physical examination is done to check for swelling in the lymph nodes, spleen, or liver. In addition, doctors may perform a biopsy (removal and examination of body tissues or bone marrow) and other tests to look for cancerous cells (Figure 11.19). Treatment options for leukemia vary but often include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell transplants. The five-year survival rate for acute myeloid leukemia varies with age. Those younger than 50 years of age at the time of diagnosis have a survival rate of 25% over a five-year period, while those older than 50 years of age have a survival rate of 50% over a five-year period. New drug treatments for chronic myeloid leukemia have led to a promising 90% survival rate over the course of five years. Multiple Myeloma Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow. The plasma cells of a person with this disease divide many times, creating even more plasma cells that are cancerous. Cancerous plasma cells are called myelomas. Myeloma cells deposit in the bone marrow, forming tumors that can damage the bone. As a result, people with multiple myeloma are prone to bone fractures and bone pain, particularly in the back and ribs. Other symptoms of this disease include excess blood calcium levels, kidney damage, and frequent infections. OlegMalyshev/iStock.com Figure 11.19 Bone marrow is harvested from a healthy individual in preparation for a stem cell transplant. Transplanted bone marrow replaces the diseased bone marrow of a person with leukemia or multiple myeloma and produces healthy WBCs, RBCs, and platelets. SECTION 11.3 REVIEW Mini-Glossary acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) the most common form of leukemia in children under 15 years of age characterized by overproduction of lymphocytes acute myeloid leukemia (AML) the most common form of leukemia in adults develops when the bone marrow produces too many myeloblasts anemia a condition characterized by a decrease in the number of red blood cells or an insuffi cient amount of hemoglobin in the red blood cells aplastic anemia a rare but serious condition in which the bone marrow stem cells are incapable of making new red blood cells chelation therapy a procedure in which excess metals, such as iron, are removed from the blood chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) a form of leukemia characterized by extremely high levels of lymphocytes most often found in middle-aged adults chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) a form of leukemia characterized by overproduction of granulocytes complete blood count (CBC) a blood test that helps detect blood disorders or diseases, such as anemia, infection, abnormal blood cell counts, clotting problems, immune system disorders, and cancers of the blood embolus a clot that has become dislodged from the wall of a blood vessel and travels through the bloodstream hemophilia a condition in which blood does not clot properly due to the absence of a clotting factor (continued)