The Facts
Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that occurs when plasma cells in the body start to overgrow in the bone marrow. Plasma cells are a type of white blood cell. Normally, as part of the immune system, plasma cells produce antibodies that help fight against disease and keep us healthy. In multiple myeloma, these plasma cells produce antibodies that are ineffective.
Multiple myeloma occurs when the overgrowth of plasma cells takes place in multiple areas of the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft spongy tissue in the middle part of the bone where blood cells are formed.
Most people diagnosed with multiple myeloma are over 65 years old. For 2010 the American Cancer Society estimates about 20,180 new cases of multiple myeloma in the United States and about 10,650 deaths. There is a 1 in 159 lifetime chance of developing multiple myeloma in the US.