Myeloma, Lymphoma and CLL Flashcards
What is myeloma?
- Incurable malignant disorder of clonal plasma cells (these are a type of B cell)
- One of a spectrum of plasma cell dyscrasias called the “paraproteinaemias”
Epidemiology of myeloma?
- Annual incidence of 60-70 per millions in the UK, median age 70 years
- Higher incidence in Afro-Caribbean ethnic groups compared with Caucasians
What is myeloma preceeded by in all patients?
Asymptomatic MGUS
What is MGUS?
Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a condition in which your body makes an abnormal protein in the bone marrow — known as monoclonal protein or M protein.
Describe the development of B cells in the bone marrow?
- Pro B cells
- Pre B cells
- Immature B cells
- Leave bone marrow and either a) apoptose and die b) travel as naive B cells to lymphoid tissue (naive as have not been exposed to antigen)
Where does B cell development occur prenatally?
In the foetal liver
What do naive B cells express on their surface?
- IgM
- IgD
- Pan B-cell markers (CD 19, 20, 22, 40, 79a)
- Complement receptors
- CD23
- Some express CD5
What immunoglobulins do naive B cells express?
IgM and IgD
When encountering antigens, what immunoglobulins do B cells then express?
Naive B cells undergo class-switch recombination (CSR) from initially producing membrane-bound IgM and IgD to expressing more effective membrane-bound IgG, IgA, or IgE when encountering antigens.
Location of lymphoid tissue around the body
Describe stages of development of B cell once it enters the lymphoid tissue
- B cells enter lymphoid tissue and become centroblasts
- Exposed to antigens by cells such as dendritic cells
- Stages of development to become centrocytes
- Will leave lymphoid tissue as either memory B cell or plasma B cell
Plasma cells have a separate stage of maturation. Describe the maturation route of a plasma cell
- NF-kB pathway upregulated when plasma cells developed
- Become plasmablasts
- Eventually form plasma cells
If plasma maturation ceases and they remain as plasmablasts, what can occur?
Mutliple myeloma
What are immunoglobulins? What are they produced by?
Glycoprotein molecules produced by plasma cells in response to an immunogen and function as antibodies
What is the structure of immunoglobulins?
- Composed of 4 polypeptide chains, held together by covalent disulphide bonds
- 2 identical light chains
- 2 identical heavy chains
- Each chain has one variable and one constant region
How are immunoglobulins classified?
Classified according to the amino acid sequence in the constant region
- Heavy chains are either: IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, IgE
- Light chains are either: kappa or lambda
What is protein electrophoresis?
- Protein electrophoresis is a test that measures specific proteins in the blood.
- Serum is placed in a gel and exposed to an electric current
- The test separates proteins in the blood based on their electrical charge.
- Five major fractions are normally identified:
- Serum albumin
- Alpha-1 globulins
- Alpha-2 globulins
- Beta blogulins
- Gamma globulins
- The protein electrophoresis test is often used to find abnormal substances called M proteins.
What are the 5 major fractions normally identified in protein electrophoresis?
- Serum albumin
- Alpha-1 globulins
- Alpha-2 globulins
- Beta blogulins
- Gamma globulins (these are the immunoglobulins)
What abnormal protein is protein electrophoresis used to detect?
Protein M (can indicate myeloma) - ‘M spike’
What is M protein?
- Monoclonal immunoglobulin (paraprotein)
- A type of gamma globulin
what is M protein produced by?
plasma cells
If an ‘M spike’ occurs in protein electrophoresis, what is the next step?
Immunofixation
What is immunofixation?
- Enables the detection and identification of monoclonal immunoglobulins
- Performed when “M-spike” seen on electrophoresis
- Serum or urine is placed on a gel and electric current is applied to separate the proteins
- Anti-immunoglobulin antisera is added to each migration lane
- If the immunoglobulin is present, a complex precipitated –> indicates which Ig is present
What would the protein electrophoresis look like in a patient with sepsis?
If there was sepsis or any inflammatory disease, there would be an increase in all (benign, polyclonal increase) as all plasma cells are producing globulins.
What is a paraproteinaemia?
A group of related diseases characterised by an unbalanced or disproportionate proliferation of Ig-producing cells, usually from a single clone. These cells frequently secrete a structurally homogeneous immunoglobulin (M-component) and/or an abnormal immunoglobulin. E.g. myeloma is one
What is the spectrum of disease of myeloma?
Low burden of disease –> MGUS
High burden of disease –> plasma cell leukaemia
What is amyloidosis?
A rare type of paraproteinaemia.that occurs when an abnormal protein, called amyloid, builds up.
What is the diagnostic criteria for myeloma?
Requires
a) More than 10% clonal bone marrow plasma cells or extramedullary plasmacytoma (lump of plasma cells)
AND
b) Any one or more of:
–CRAB features
–MDEs
What are CRAB features?
Classical features of myeloma
- C: hypercalcaemia (>2.75mmol/L)
- R: renal insufficiency (creat clearance <40ml/min or serum creat >177micromol/L)
- A: anaemia (Hb<100g/L)
- B: bone lesions (one or more osteolytic lesions on skeletal radiography, CT, or PET/CT)
What are MDEs?
Myeloma-defining events (this allows for asymptomatic myeloma to be treated if it is worrying):
- Greater than 60% clonal plasma cells on bone marrow biopsy
- SFLC ratio >100mg/L provided the absolute level of the involved LC is >100mg/L (if one of their light chains is raised >100mg/L and if ratio of kappa:lamda or lamda:kappa >100mg/L)
- >1 focal lesion on MRI measuring >5mm
When would MDEs be looked for?
If CRAB features are not present but think could be ‘asymptomatic/smouldering’ myeloma
What is the relationship between myeloma and the kidney?
- 20-25% of patients have renal insufficiency at diagnosis, 50% during disease course
- 50% will have persistent renal impairment despite therapy
- 2-12% will require RRT (renal replacement therapy)
Why can myeloma damage the kidney?
- The abnormal proteins made by the plasma cells in patients with multiple myeloma can damage block and damage the tubules –> ‘myeloma kidney’
- Abnormal proteins can also lead to inflammatory reactions in the surrounding tissue
- Toxic effects of these abnormal proteins
What are the external factors that can cause kidney damage during myeloma?
- Renal vein thrombosis (myeloma is a pro-thrombotic disease)
- Biphosphonates (drugs used to treat bone damage caused by myeloma, but can cause toxicity in kidneys)
- Hypercalcaemia (caused by myeloma, can damage nephrons)
- ACEi (drugs commonly taken by elderly population, can be damaging to kidney)
- Dehydration
- NSAIDs
- CT contrast
- Hyperviscosity (myeloma can cause thickening of blood which can damage kidneys)
- Type 1 cryoglobulinaemia (can cause direct kidney injury)
Clinical features of myeloma?
Symptoms usually resulting from renal impairment, hypercalcaemia and bone impairment:
- Chest infections: neoplastic plasma cells take up room, so normal plasma cells cannot proliferate
- Loss of height due to pathological fractures of the spinal vertebrae
What are the actue complications of myeloma?
- Hyperviscocity
- Hypercalcaemia
- Acute kidney injury
- Spinal cord compression
- Due to bone lytic lesions that occur in spine
- Or due to plasmacytoma that can occur
- Sepsis
What is the most common cause of mortality in first 60 days of patient’s journey with myeloma?
Sepsis
What is the cardinal sign of hyperviscocity?
Retinal vein dilatation/haemorrhage
What is plasmacytoma?
Plasmacytoma refers to a tumour consisting of abnormal plasma cells that grows within the soft tissue or bony skeleton.
What are bone lytic lesions?
Spots of bone damage that result from cancerous plasma cells building up in your bone marrow.