My husband is on a breathing machine since April07 he's got plasmacytoma and I am terrified about the treatme

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His breathing muscle are weak due CIDP ( Nov 05) .Now they've discovered ( PET/CT ) a lytic lesion in sacrum area consistent with a plasmacytoma, We are still waiting for the bone marrow biopsy and the biopsy to those abnormal cells to get back from the labs but I am scared to think of any treatment as chemo with him being so sick and so resistent to antibiotics due to interminable chest infections.I am desperate and I am wondering if anyone out there has been in the same situation. Please ........anyone out there??
I know very little about CIDP, but if he is on a respirator and is having repeated chest infections then the plasmacytoma may not be so much to worry about.

If it is an isolated plasmacytoma then a few radiation treatments may take care of the problem for a long time. If it is more advanced (myeloma) then he might need systemic treatment, but the current front line therapy is thalidomide with decadron, not chemotherapy. Even if he needs more than thalidomide, his docs might recommend Velcade or Revlamid, which are not conventional 'chemotherapy' in the sense that you are thinking about, either.

The CIDP will be a complicating factor in all this, of course. One of the major side effects of the drugs I listed above is peripheral neuropathy. So that could be a problem, but it is up to his specialists to figure out how much of a problem.

Take it one day at a time, and one diagnosis at a time.

God bless you and your husband.

MM  (+ info)

Need to find more information on solitary Plasmacytoma?

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More then the clinical definition of the cancer, like case files, other patients, some who is dealing with it.
There is an off possibility that it may be able to be treated by bone marrow or stem cell transplant. From what I am reading, there are several different types including multiple myleoma which is a type of cancer treated by transplant. Though you may have to find a trial for the patient to undergo that treatment but there are plenty of trials all over the us using this transplant for all sorts of different issues (I went through this transplant for leukemia) Info about the transplant can be found at www.marrow.org and the involved oncologist should be able to locate any trials using this treatment if there are any.

Furthermore, search google for online support groups involving this cancer and the specific type. If there are any local support groups, the involved oncologist should know about them and the involved oncologist may be able to hook you up with any other local patients (they cant give you other patient info, can only take your permission to give other patients your contact info)

All cancer patients are generally referred to a psychologist or other mental health professional. This person should also be able to help with local and online patients or support groups or places to locate them.

Medical journals will have case files, but unless you are medically educated or spend a LOT of time educating yourself, you probably wont understand most of it. The inovlved oncologist can help you find this info as well as your local library and even better if you have access to the library of a local hospital or college/university  (+ info)

Does anyone have experience with Plasmacytoma?

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My grandpa had a tumor in his neck and he had that removed last tuesday. They did a biopsy on the tumor and found it was cancerous, and they diagnosed him with Plasmacytoma. I just want to know if he will die from this...
Can anyone help?
I hope that the removal of the tumor was complete (with clean margins) and hopefully he will have a great prognosis!



This is some info regarding Plasmacytoma:

There are about 12,000 new cases of "plasma cell neoplasms", which includes plasmacytoma and multiple myeloma, each year in the U.S.A. About 1,000 of these cases are"solitary plasmacytoma" each year, the remainder are multiple myeloma at diagnosis. The number of cases increases with age. 98% of patients are over 40 years old, and 60% of patients are males. The disease is more common in Black individuals than Whites. Multiple Myeloma causes about 7000 deaths per year. Concerning plasmacytomas, there are two basic types--"solitary plasmacytoma of bone" and"extramedullary plasmacytoma." Obviously, the plasmacytoma of bone starts in bone. In contrast, the "extramedullary" type starts in soft tissue like fat or muscle. These types have different characters. Generally, the "plasmacytoma of bone" is more likely to progress to multiple myeloma (>70% at 10 years) than "extramedullary plasmacytoma (20% at 10 years). Multiple plasmacytomas are multiple myeloma by definition.
Extramedullary plasmacytoma tends to occur in the sixth and seventh decades of life, and it is three to four times more common in men than in women. (6) Although it has a predilection for the head and neck region, extramedullary plasmacytoma accounts for less than 1% of all head and neck cancers. (7) Almost 80% of extramedullary plasmacytomas occur in the submucosal tissues in the head and neck (8); 10 to 20% of these may present as multiple lesions. (9) The most common locations are the nasopharynx and the paranasal sinuses; others have been reported in the oropharynx, larynx, tongue, minor salivary glands, thyroid, orbit, skull base, and mastoid. (6,10-13) Locations outside the head and neck include the pleura, mediastinum, spermatic cord, ovary, intestines, kidney, pancreas, breasts, and skin. In this article, we report a new case of extramedullary plasmacytoma in which a solitary lesion arose in the nasal cavity.
Overall, the prognosis is "good" provided that multiple myeloma has been ruled out. (18) Kaplan-Maier survival estimates for plasmacytoma of the head and "neck" show 95% survival at 1 year, 82% at 5 years, and 72% at 10 years. (19)


http://www.bcm.edu/oto/grand/32896.html  (+ info)

Plasmacytoma/Plasma cell dyscrasia?

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My hubby got diagnosised with plasmacytoma in his L4 vertebrae 8 weeks ago. He has had surgery on his back to stabalise it and has just begun radiation therapy. I have just got copies of blood test he had in hospital and they say he also has Plasma cell dyscrasia.. My question is are they the same thing or are we talking two different diseases? We can't see haemtologist for another 5 weeks so any knowledgable advise would be great
Plasma cells are a type of white blood cell that make antibodies.
That blood test may have shown an excess amount of IgG or IGA antibodies which would be an indicator of a plasma cell dyscrasia.
Sometimes plasmacytomas are localized and need only local radiation. Other times they are in multiple areas of the bone and bone marrow in which case it is called multiple myeloma.
Here's a brief, simple explanation reference http://cancer.emedtv.com/plasmacytoma/plasmacytoma.html

The hematologist/oncologist will need additional tests to characterize your husband's situation. he or she will be able to explain this much better than your GP doctor - especially after all the information from tests are in.  (+ info)

What is the approximate lifespan of someone with stage 3 kidney failure?

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Also has been diagnosed with Extramedullary plasmacytoma, multiple myeloma.
He also has high blood pressure, diabetes and has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma (extramedullary) plasmacytoma. The conditions have not been properly explained in "real" words that we can understand. Please help.
I happened to be looking up the approximate lifespan of someone with stage 3 kidney disease last night. What I found on the internet, and I don't remember the source, is that someone with stage 3 CKD has a 50 - 50 chance of being on dialysis in 5 years. On dialysis, they may live a year or two longer.

However, I read a review of "Coping with Kidney Disease: A 12-Step Treatment Program to Help You Avoid Dialysis" by Mackenze Walser. Walser had quite a bit of success of prolonging kidney patients lives and keeping them off dialysis for years after their prognosis would put them there, via a low protein diet supplemented with certain amino acids.

One of the reviewers wrote, "After being diagnosed with CKD 18 months ago (stage 3)I did a lot of research on diet, etc. and happened upon Dr. Walser's book. With the approval of my nephrologist, I started using the amino acid suppliments in place of most of my dietary protein. My GFR went from 45 to 75 in three months. Very heartening!"

Here's the link to the book at Amazon. The results are very heartening indeed: http://www.amazon.com/Coping-Kidney-Disease-Treatment-Dialysis/dp/customer-reviews/0471274232/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful/103-7255190-1231867?ie=UTF8&customer-reviews.sort%5Fby=-SubmissionDate&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&customer-reviews.start=1&colid=#customerReviews  (+ info)

What is Plasmacytoma?

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Is there a cure for it
Plasmacytoma
Plasmacytoma is a form of cancer that begins in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. In this type of cancer, the abnormal plasma cells collect in one location and form a single tumor, called a plasmacytoma. This tumor may form in the bone marrow or in soft tissue. Symptoms vary based on location; possible ones include pain and difficulty swallowing. Treatment options can include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.
http://cancer.emedtv.com/plasmacytoma/plasmacytoma.html  (+ info)

Information on Solitary Plasmacytoma?

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Tumor on the spine, removed vertebrae, underwent radiation treatment
~5% of plasma cell disorders present as solitary medullary plasmacytoma. Patients must be screened carefully, including plain films, bone marrow, serum/urine studies, and sometimes MRI/PET, to rule out systemic disease.

Radiation is the standard of care, with or without resection of tumor. Unfortunately, 50% of patients will develop multiple myeloma within 10 yrs. Generally no therapy is given after radiation unless recurrence develops.

If you have the means or lucky enough to live nearby, but might consider an opinion from one of the major myeloma/plasma cell disorders centers, such as Mayo Clinic, Dana Farber, Arkansas, etc. It is possible they are doing clinical trials looking at post-radiation therapy. If you would like to email me, I can send you some fairly technical /medical information that may be helpful.

God bless, best wishes  (+ info)

What does it mean if a 5 MM lesion is low in signal intensity on T1 weighted images and bright on T2- weighte?

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and STIR sequence? The lesion is on the upper body of the fourth lumbar vertebae centrally. It does not have the appearanc of a typical hemangioma. it does not appear to communicate with the superior endplate. There are also a variety of small osseous lesions . It also says that metastasis and plasmacytoma should be considered. I am having a bone scan tomorrow. Any help deciphering this MRI report will be greatly appreciated
There is abnormal tissue growth (lesion) in your spine that might be a tumor or cyst. The MRI weighting indicates that this tumor has a low amount of fat and moderate amount of fluid in it. Based on the two types of MRI weighting factors, the docs suspect that this lesion might be a type of early cancer called plasmacytoma, but it might not be cancer at all - there's only so much you can see in an MRI image.

The osseous lesions are the same as bone spurs - these tend to be caused by osteoarthritis and they are probably not related to the lesion.

It makes sense that the docs want to look further for possible signs of cancer before deciding on treatment options. The docs are probably seeing if they can rule out the possibility of a type of cancer where there are numerous plasmacytomas in the bone marrow. Plasmacytomas are formed from blood cells, and they sometimes form in the bone marrow since the marrow is where blood cells are produced. If your bone scan is clear, then the only sign of possible cancer is the single lesion that can easily be removed or destroyed.  (+ info)

Does anyone have an idea what a lymphoplasmacytoma is?

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Is it a type of lymphoma or plasmacytoma? thanks
Plasmacytoma is a localized collection of monoclonal plasma cells. The disease is divided into primary plasmacytoma of the bone and extramedullary plasmacytoma. The importance of the diagnosis rests with the potential for these disorders to progress to multiple myeloma. Solitary plasmacytoma of the bone are usually painful and present with a lytic lesion on radiographs. By definition, the bone lesion can be diagnosed if there is:

Single bone lesion with histology consistent with a plasma cell tumor
Absence of a plasma cell infiltrate in random bone marrow biopsies
No evidence of other bone lesions by radiographic examination
Absence of renal failure
No hypercalcemia
No anemia  (+ info)

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