Multiple myeloma, also known as Kahler's disease, plasma cell myeloma or blood cancer, affects approximately 700 people in Belgium each year. [1] This makes multiple myeloma one of the three most common blood cancers. [2] During the Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, we pay attention to dealing with this disease.

Multiple myeloma is a form of blood cancer. This cancer occurs when a certain type of white blood cells called plasma cells begin to grow uncontrollably. These malignant plasma cells settle in the bone marrow, the place where all types of blood cells are made, crowding out normal blood-forming cells in the process. Because often multiple malignant plasma cells nestle in the bone marrow, the disease is also called multiple myeloma.

CRAB criteria help in the recognition process

Multiple myeloma is not easy to recognize. Symptoms are frequently too general or not obvious enough. This often leads to a late diagnosis of multiple myeloma. To make multiple myeloma more recognizable to physicians and patients, the CRAB criteria are used. The CRAB criteria refer to four symptoms that patients with multiple myeloma may experience:

• Calcium, or increased calcium levels in the blood

• Renal, or renal function impairment

• Anemia

• Bone, or bone deterioration

More control over your own care pathway

Multiple myeloma is a complex disease. This also implies a complex treatment plan. That is why some hospitals have recently started using easy-to-read infographics. These give patients an immediate and clear overview of what awaits them.

Impact on patients

Multiple myeloma may not be as well known to the general public, but it certainly has a significant impact on the lives of the 176,000 patients diagnosed worldwide each year. [3] That's why at Janssen, we commit ourselves every day to making multiple myeloma a treatable disease. At the same time, we are working on better and faster recognition of the symptoms of this blood cancer, in the hope that we can make it a curable disease in the future.

Janssen in Belgium

Read more about our activities in the field of blood cancer, prostate cancer, and our other areas of expertise. You can also learn more about the activities of Janssen in Belgium. Follow us via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay up to date with current developments.

EM-90912