Cancer can impact the body in a whole host of ways, including the way it produces blood cells. Myeloma, which is often referred to as multiple myeloma, is the name for a kind of blood cancer that begins in a person’s bone marrow and affects white blood cells, which are known as plasma cells. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 36,000 people were diagnosed with this rare blood cancer in 2025. While there’s no cure for myeloma, it is treatable, and there have been significant advances in treatments — and survival rates — in recent years.
In honor of Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, here are five things to know about this kind of blood cancer.
- It can impact a number of different parts of the body. Multiple myeloma begins when cancerous plasma cells grow. This can impact the blood, the bones and organs, according to the American Cancer Society. It can also cause infections, because the abnormal white blood cells can hamper a person’s immune system.
- You can have multiple myeloma and not know it. Early on, the symptoms of this blood cancer can be so mild that a person might dismiss them. But in time, the health complications can become quite significant, including broken bones, bacterial infections and nerve damage, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
- There are several ways to test for multiple myeloma. If your healthcare provider is concerned you might have multiple myeloma, there are a number of different tests they could order, including blood tests, urine tests, imaging tests, biopsies and genetic testing.
- Certain people may be more at risk. According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple myeloma is more common in people who are older, male, Black, and/or have a family history of the disease, as well as individuals who have a health condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Unfortunately, Mayo Clinic adds that there aren’t any actions you can take that could lower your risk for this type of cancer.
- New treatments are giving patients hope. Novel therapies, including several types of immunotherapy, have been helping people with multiple myeloma live longer lives. Other treatments might include targeted therapy, CAR-T cell therapy, chemotherapy, corticosteroids, bone marrow transplant and radiation therapy, according to the Mayo Clinic. Clinical trials are also bringing new options to patients seeking different treatments. If you have multiple myeloma and haven’t talked to your doctor about clinical trial opportunities, be sure to do so. You can also research opportunities yourself using the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation’s Clinical Trial Finder Tool.
While there’s no cure for multiple myeloma, there are many treatments that enable people to live comfortable and productive lives for years. In fact, scientists believe we’re living in exciting times because of all the emerging research around this disease. If you have concerns about multiple myeloma or any other health conditions, be sure to talk to your doctor. They know you best.
