Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer that affects the plasma cell, which is a type of white blood cell. These cells are in the bone marrow (in the soft, inner parts of some bone). Plasma cells make antibodies that help you fight infections by recognizing germs and attacking them. In this condition, cancer cells accumulate in the bone marrow, where they do not let healthy blood cells to grow, leading to complications. The treatment option is determined depending on the different stages of multiple myeloma.

For patients with this type of cancer, several options are available to help manage the disease. The early stage of multiple myeloma may not show any signs or symptoms. The initial symptoms, however, include excessive thirst, frequent infections, weight loss, bone pain especially in the chest or spine, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, constipation, numbness in the legs and mental fogginess or confusion. Multiple myeloma is diagnosed through bone marrow aspiration or biopsy. The treatment for this condition includes drugs that modulate the immune system, chemotherapy drugs, stem cell transplant, radiation therapy, and surgery. The different stages of multiple myeloma usually represent the increasing severity of the disease.

The process of determining the extent to which cancer has spread is called staging. The systems that identify the different stages of multiple myeloma are the Durie-Salmon Staging, International Staging System (ISS), and Revised International Staging System (R-ISS). R-ISS is a newer method in which doctors use the most often. It predicts how well the patient will cope and manage with treatment and measures four things to figure out how advanced the cancer is:

• Albumin levels : It is a protein in the blood that indicates how healthy you are overall.
• Beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) : Levels of this protein are high in your blood when suffering from multiple myeloma.
• Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) : This enzyme’s presence can be high if your disease is more advanced.
• Genetic changes: These changes in your cancer cells mean your myeloma is more aggressive.

The different stages of multiple myeloma are as follows:

Stage I

• The levels of albumin, B2M, and LDH are normal or close to it.
• The genetic makeup of the cancer cells doesn’t particularly make it aggressive.
• Multiple myeloma is easy to treat at this stage, but most people don’t get diagnosed until it’s more advanced.

Stage II

• The albumin level is low.
• The B2M is either still, normal or a bit high.
• Half of those diagnosed with multiple myeloma in stage II live 7 years or more after the start of treatment, according to research studies.

Stage III

• The B2M levels are high, indicating that the disease is widespread and advanced.
• There is either a high LDH level or changes in the DNA of the cells.
• More than half the people diagnosed in stage III live at least 3 ½ years.

There are different forms of myeloma-related conditions. While some require treatment, others do not, but they all require regular check-ups to monitor whether the disease is spreading aggressively.