a day-by-day
susu alkhalili
8/30/2018 1 Comment day 8: a personal connection My aunt suffers from multiple myeloma; this is one of the reasons why I wanted to explore oncology in the first place. While I knew that this was the cancer of the bone marrow that she is suffering from, I didn’t know much about it; she lives in Palestine and we only get to see her once every few years. One of my goals for my independent study was to learn more about multiple myeloma, as well as the treatment and diagnosis of cancer as a whole.
Today a man came into the office. It was the same man that had the bone marrow test done from last week. His results were back, and he was brought back in to discuss them. The man was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. As the doctor explained what this disease was, I found myself learning about my aunt’s condition. Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer that affects the bone marrow. I learned that it is diagnosed when the patient has >10% plasma cells (a type of white blood cell). The normal percentage of plasma cells is <5%. The patient who came into the office today had a percentage that was slightly above 10%, making this a low-grade cancer. Low-grade cancers are cancers that may not even require treatment, as they do not pose as a serious or immediate threat to the patient. The doctor explained that multiple myeloma can affect many other functions of the body, including calcium levels, renal function, anemia, and the bones (abbreviated by the acronym CRAB). If the myeloma was affecting any of these functions, the cancer would have to be treated. However, if none of these functions are affected, the cancer is instead called smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). In the case of the patient, we were able to rule out the first three letters of CRAB, but more tests needed to be run to look at the function of the bones. As a result, the doctor ordered a PET CT Scan, which shows bone activity. Today I was given the opportunity to learn more about my aunt’s illness from an actual oncologist. He explained it in such a way that was easy for the patient to understand, giving me a basic overview of what my aunt was suffering from, including symptoms, diagnosis, and prognosis.
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11/23/2023 03:48:39 pm
What Happens If the Bone Marrow Transplant Does Not Hold?
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AuthorSusu Alkhalili, senior at Maumee Valley Country Day School. ArchivesCategories |