Macroglobulinemia

[Agnes]

Macroglobulinemia is a plasma cell cancer in which a single clone of plasma cells produces excessive amounts of a certain type of large antibody (IgM) called macroglobulins.

Although many people have no symptoms, some people have abnormal bleeding, recurring bacterial infections, and bone fractures due to severe osteoporosis.
Blood tests and bone marrow examination are needed to make the diagnosis.
Macroglobulinemia is not curable, but progression can be slowed with chemotherapy drugs.

Plasma cells develop from B cells (B lymphocytes), a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies (immunoglobulins). Antibodies are proteins that help the body fight infection. If a single plasma cell multiplies excessively, the resulting group of genetically identical cells (called a clone) produces a large quantity of a single type of antibody. Because this antibody is made by a single clone, it is called a monoclonal antibody and also is known as the M-protein. (See also Overview of Plasma Cell Disorders.)
Men are affected by macroglobulinemia more often than women, and the average age at which the disorder appears is 65 years. Its cause is unknown