What is Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia?
Also known as lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia is a type of cancer that is characterized by excess production of abnormal white blood cells produced by the spinal cord. These blood cells move towards healthy blood cells, producing a protein that accumulates in the blood, hindering circulation and causing complications.
This disease is classified as a monoclonal gammopathy, but clinically it is more similar to Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The disease is characterized by slow progression, and its main symptoms are fatigue, weight loss and lack of appetite.
Prognosis of Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia
The prognosis of the disease varies depending on several factors, such as the speed of disease progression, the age of the patient and the patient’s response to treatment.
Sometimes the disease is asymptomatic for several years, and many patients may remain stable with very slow progression for several years.
In other cases, patients may have rapidly progressive Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia.
About 60% of patients are still alive a decade after diagnosis, and 10/15% of those affected have disease that progresses to aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Symptoms of Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia
Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia usually has a chronic course with a slow progression. The disease may remain asymptomatic for several years.
However, when signs or symptoms appear, the most frequent are the following:
- The patient is fatigued
- The patient loses weight involuntarily
- Tendency to bruise
- Epistaxis or nosebleeds
- Bleeding gums
- Numbness of hands and feet
- Fever
- Headache
- Vision problems and changes
- Confusion
- Shortness of breath
In Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, there is an excess of white blood cells in the blood.
Medical tests for Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia
In order to diagnose Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia, some of the tests are as follows:
- Blood test: the test can reveal the amount of healthy blood cells, as well as organ function.
- Obtaining a marrow sample for analysis: a sample of bone marrow is obtained from a needle for examination to determine whether or not cancer cells are present.
- Imaging tests: computed tomography or positron emission tomography can determine the extent of the disease.
What are the causes of Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia?
The cause(s) of Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia is unclear at this time. It is known that the disease begins with a white blood cell that has mutations and errors in its genetic code. These errors cause the cell to multiply continuously.
In the case of cancer cells, they do not mature and die like normal cells, but tend to accumulate and outnumber healthy cells.
Within the marrow, the diseased cells crowd out healthy blood cells. Macroglobulinemia cells try to produce antibodies, but they produce proteins that the body cannot use, and these proteins eventually accumulate in the blood, affecting the circulation.
Can Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia be prevented?
There is no specific way to prevent the onset of Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia. However, there are a number of risk factors that both the patient and the specialist should be aware of:
- Being an adult over 65 years of age
- Being male
- Being white
- Family history of lymphoma
Treatments for Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia
There are several ways to treat Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia. Some of the options are:
- Observation
- Plasma exchange: with plasma exchange, proteins are removed and replaced with healthy plasma.
- Targeted therapy: cancer cells are destroyed by targeting specific abnormalities.
- Chemotherapy: chemotherapy destroys fast-growing cells.
- Biological therapy: Biological therapy drugs use the immune system to destroy cancer cells.
- Bone marrow transplant: In this procedure, chemotherapy is used to remove diseased marrow and healthy stem cells are injected into the body to generate new healthy marrow.
- Clinical trials. This consists of testing the latest treatments.
Which specialist treats Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia?
There are several specialists in charge of diagnosing and treating Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia, the most important being the Hematology specialist and the Oncology specialist.