If you have back pain, you most likely do not have multiple myeloma. However pain in your back, or bones, is a myeloma symptom. So, if you have back pain, should you get an MRI for multiple myeloma?
We can’t say it enough, you should get your symptoms checked out by a specialist until you are satisfied with the explanation.
Read More Multiple myeloma does cause bone conditions. Why is that and how common is it? According to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
85% of multiple myeloma patients have some kind of bone damage or loss. “The most commonly affected areas are the spine, pelvis, and rib cage,” according to the Foundation. The reason for this bone loss or damage is multiple myeloma
disrupts the bone remodeling process.The cancerous myeloma cells keep the cells in the bone responsible for removing old bone and rebuilding new bone from working properly. The disease can also weaken the bone, producing fractures. And it can cause thinning of the bones leading to osteoporosisthis means the bones are more porous and more likely to fracture. And “in advanced multiple myeloma, a patient
may lose inches from his or her height due to compressed vertebrae over the course of their illness”. So bone conditions can be a symptom of multiple myeloma. Unfortunately a condition like back pain is so common that there is no reason for someone who has it to suspect that they have multiple myeloma.
Dr. Jens Hillengass, Chief of Myeloma at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center says that most people experience back pain because of poor posture or lack of exercise, not because they have multiple myeloma. "Multiple Myeloma is very rare. If a patient has back pain and there is no reason for that, or no obvious reason for that, then you should go further and do more sophisticated imaging." If after an X-ray and an MRI, your doctor believes that something feels off about your back pain, then you should consider further testing.
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Dr. Jens Hillengass is the Chief of Myeloma and a Professor of Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Read More
