Mount Auburn Healthcare Connection

Learn More:

• Related Links
• Quiz

Lymphoma and myeloma are cancers of the blood. At Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, physicians are striving to win the battle against lymphoma and myeloma with the latest diagnostics and treatments.

Lymphoma
According to the Lymphoma Society of America, 53 percent of blood cancers that are diagnosed each year are lymphomas and the number of incidence has nearly doubled in the last 55 years. “Lymphoma is a malignancy of the lymphoid system, which is the system of cells and organs designed to help the body fight infections,” says Matthew Kaufman, M.D., Hematologist/Oncologist at Mount Auburn Hospital.

“There are several types of lymphoma, which are categorized as either Hodgkins or non-Hodgkins,” says Dr. Kaufman. Common symptoms include: swelling of lymph nodes, feverish chills, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.

Although the causes of lymphoma remain somewhat unknown, there are some risk factors associated with the disease. “Different types of lymphoma occur at different age peaks, but it can occur at any age,” says Dr. Kaufman. “People with suppressed immune systems are at higher risk for lymphoma and it may also be triggered by viruses.”

The good news is, outcomes for lymphoma are generally successful. “Lymphoma is not only treatable, but often curable,” says Dr. Kaufman. “New diagnostic developments, such as PET scans, are helping us more accurately diagnose and identify lymphoma.” A new drug therapy has also emerged that can successfully target a particular type of lymphoma. Other new therapies have increased the remission of certain types of lymphomas.

Myeloma
More than 60,000 people are living with myeloma in the United States and it is most common in people over age 50. Like lymphoma, myeloma attacks a part of the body that fights infection. “It is a disorder of the plasma cells and resides in the bone marrow,” says Dr. Kaufman. Normal plasma cells make antibodies that fight infection. “The problem with this disease is that the cells become cancerous with myeloma, spread to the bone marrow and end up multiplying so much that they deplete the infection-fighting plasma cells, along with red and white blood cells and platelets.”

Patients with myeloma are at risk for bone destruction, kidney inefficiency, infections, neuropathy and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). “Myeloma is a particularly difficult illness,” says Dr. Kaufman. “There aren’t always indications, but when there are, they may include bone pain, fractures with no cause and low red cell counts.”

Although a cure is yet to be discovered, new drug therapies may induce remission or provide successful response. “Revlimid? and Velcade? are two relatively new drugs that can be used separately or in combination to fight myeloma,” says Dr. Kaufman. “Patients are also often followed-up with a stem cell transplant that results in prolonged survival.” For patients with bone pain, a series of drugs called bisphosphonates are available to protect bones from becoming weak.

At Mount Auburn Hospital, specialists are dedicated to the treatment and management of lymphoma and myeloma. “We provide state-of-the-art care with the most up-to-date drugs and diagnostics,” says Dr. Kaufman. By incorporating skilled medical teams, interdisciplinary care and the latest advancements, specialists and patients are battling blood cancers together.

To schedule an appointment with one of Mount Auburn Hospital’s cancer care specialists, call 617-499-5094.