Multiple aspects of a plasma cell dyscrasia

This thesis described several aspects of the malignant disease Multiple Myeloma (MM). In case of MM the plasma cell, which originates in the bone marrow, becomes malignant. Patients can develop lytic bone lesions which are an important source of morbidity. This thesis described several studies about nuclear imaging techniques. The properties of nuclear imaging enable the identification of specific cellular properties of the malignant plasma cells. This is of great interest in case of relapsing disease. 18F-FDG-PET seems to be the most valuable nuclear imaging technique.
The last decade improvements are made for the treatment of MM. This thesis describes that maintenance treatment is valuable for increasing the progression free survival.
A complication of MM treatment is the increases risk for venous thrombotic events (VTE). This thesis shows that VTE risk is increased with every type of treatment regimen. Thromboprophylaxis should be considered to lower the VTE risk.
Furthermore the disease can be present at one location in the body, the so called plasmacytoma. Treatment results from patient treated in the northern part of the Netherlands are shown. Many patients with a plasmacytoma will develop MM. The results indicated that patients with a plasmacytoma may benefit from systemic treatment together with the standard local radiotherapy.