Bone Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bone Cancer, including details on symptoms, types, treatment.

Multiple myeloma: primary bone tumor with systemic manifestations.

Bilsky MH, Azeem S

Department of Neurosurgery, Box 71, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA. bilskym@mskcc.org

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell dyscrasia that frequently involves the bone marrow of the spine. These tumors are typically chemosensitive and radiation sensitive. Multiple myeloma promotes osteoclast activation and osteoblast inhibition, resulting in osteolysis of the vertebral bodies and subsequent compression fractures. Rarely is open surgery for decompression and instrumentation indicated. The presence of diffuse osteoporosis in patients with multiple myeloma increases the probability of failed fixation in this population.

Published 24 December 2007 in Neurosurg Clin N Am, 19(1): 31-40.
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