I went to the hospital because of back pain and was diagnosed with blood cancer… What symptoms could I have missed?

Ms. A, a 65-year-old woman who had suffered from back pain, experienced severe back pain and weakness in her legs one day while coming down the stairs. Mr. A, who visited the hospital, was diagnosed with nerve compression due to a spinal fracture. While undergoing tests to determine the cause of the fracture, he was also found to have anemia of unknown cause. The attending physician suspected blood cancer and transferred the patient to a higher-level general hospital. After that, Mr. A underwent blood tests and bone marrow tests. I was shocked to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. It's gone.

 

Like this, there are cases where a patient visits the hospital with back pain and is shocked to be diagnosed with blood cancer. While leukemia is often associated with blood cancer, multiple myeloma is the second most common and is steadily increasing in incidence. September is World Blood Cancer Awareness Month. With the help of Professor Park Young-hoon of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, we learned about multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that develops in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell involved in antibody production, and is one of the fastest-growing cancers in Korea. According to data from the Central Cancer Registry released in 2023, multiple myeloma accounted for 0.7% of all cancer cases in Korea in 2021, with 1,915 new cases. Most patients are over 60 years old, making it a typical blood cancer that occurs in older adults.

 

Multiple myeloma produces an abnormal protein called the M-protein instead of normal antibodies, disrupting the immune system and causing a variety of symptoms. While the exact pathogenesis remains unknown, it is believed to be linked to immune system abnormalities, genetic factors, and exposure to radiation and chemicals. Hypercalcemia can cause symptoms such as thirst, nausea, loss of consciousness, shortness of breath due to anemia, dizziness, and general weakness.

 

Weakening and destruction of bones are also typical symptoms of multiple myeloma. Symptoms may include pain in the fractures, lower back, or ribs, or swelling due to decreased kidney function. In fact, approximately 70% of patients initially diagnosed with the condition complain of lower back pain and bone pain in the hip joint.

 

======================

 

Did you strain your back during Chuseok?

I still have some pain in the morning,

 

It's dangerous to just pass by~

 

If you do some stretching, you'll feel much better...

 

People with bad backs...

You should definitely go to the hospital. You might develop other illnesses.