Why is multiple myeloma difficult to diagnose? Hi everyone, Doctor Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, and I'm going to explain in a minute or less the complexity of the diagnosis of multiple myeloma.
It often takes time to make the diagnosis of myeloma. The average myeloma patient sees their primary care provider three times with signs and symptoms consistent with myeloma before the diagnosis is made.
Why is this? Well, it has to do with the fact that the symptoms and signs of myeloma tend to be very general, like feeling fatigued, having pain, having a low red blood cell count. But also, because there are overlapping conditions that can often mimic myeloma, like diabetes, which is particularly common in the African American and Latino American populations where we know myeloma has a higher incidence.
And lastly, sometimes it's difficult to make the diagnosis because there isn't just one test involved. And often in primary care, we may not know exactly what tests to order to make sure we have the right diagnosis established. We hope to shorten that time to the diagnosis of multiple myeloma.
For more information about multiple myeloma or if you have personal questions related to your own or a loved one's diagnosis, please visit us at myeloma.org.
