Multiple Myeloma Awareness Color: Burgundy
Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month: March
Multiple Myeloma is cancer formed by malignant plasma cells. Plasma cells are part of the bone marrow, producing healthy blood and functioning as part of the imune system. Cancerous plasma cells grow out of controll and can produce tumors in the bones and other tissues. If there is only one tumor it is called an isolated plasmacytoma, otherwise it is called Multiple Myeloma.
Roughly 22,000 new cases of multiple myeloma are diagnosed each year and about 10,000 deaths occur yearly from multiple myeloma. The good news is that, with increased multiple myeloma awareness and treatment options, survival statistics have doubled in the last decade.
*Sources: WebMD: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiplemyeloma
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