Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2008 Mar 15;111(6):2962-72.
doi: 10.1182/blood-2007-10-078022.

Multiple myeloma

Robert A Kyle  1 , S Vincent Rajkumar
Affiliations
Review

Multiple myeloma

Robert A Kyle et al. Blood. .

Abstract

Multiple myeloma is a clonal plasma cell malignancy that accounts for slightly more than 10% of all hematologic cancers. In this paper, we present a historically focused review of the disease, from the description of the first case in 1844 to the present. The evolution of drug therapy and stem-cell transplantation for the treatment of myeloma, as well as the development of new agents, is discussed. We also provide an update on current concepts of diagnosis and therapy, with an emphasis on how treatments have emerged from a historical perspective after certain important discoveries and the results of experimental studies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline depicting the history and treatment of multiple myeloma from 1844 to the present.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Sarah Newbury, the first reported patient with multiple myeloma. (A) Bone destruction in the sternum. (B) The patient with fractured femurs and right humerus. (C) Bone destruction involving the femur. Adapted from Solly with permission.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Henry Bence Jones. (B) Otto Kahler (courtesy of Dr Heinz Ludwig, Vienna). (C) Jan Waldenström (courtesy of Giampaolo Merlini, Pavia, Italy).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Algorithm outlining the current approach to the treatment of newly diagnosed myeloma. CR indicates complete response; MPT, melphalan, prednisone, thalidomide; and VGPR, very good partial response.
None
None
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kyle RA, Rajkumar SV. Multiple myeloma. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:1860–1873. - PubMed
    1. Rajkumar SV, Kyle RA. Plasma cell disorders. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, editors. Cecil Textbook of Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2007. pp. 1426–1437.
    1. Kyle RA, Therneau TM, Rajkumar SV, et al. A long-term study of prognosis of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:564–569. - PubMed
    1. Kyle RA, Therneau TM, Rajkumar SV, et al. Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:1362–1369. - PubMed
    1. Kyle RA, Remstein ED, Therneau TM, et al. Clinical course and prognosis of smoldering (asymptomatic) multiple myeloma. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:2582–2590. - PubMed

Substances