Kahler’s disease, also known as multiple myeloma, is a blood cancer that occurs in the plasma.
In the disease, the body’s bone marrow is affected, and cancerous cells begin to replace the healthy blood cells.
It is the most common type of Myeloma and is considered to be the 14th most common kind of cancer in the world.
The effects of cancer can also reach your kidneys due to the development of abnormal proteins.
Kahler’s disease thus tends to affect different parts of the body.
Symptoms
As Kahler’s disease starts with the bone marrow, the bones experience the most typical symptoms of the disease.
Pain in the bones is one common indication.
More than that, the bones can even break if the condition spreads unchecked.
However, since the disease spreads to different parts of the body, you are likely to experience a host of other symptoms, such as:
Nausea
Excessive thirst
Frequent fevers and infections
Weight loss
Urinating excessively
Constipation
Staging Kahler’s Disease
Staging cancer means determining the spread and growth of cancer in the human body.
Staging for multiple myeloma can be done using the International Staging System (ISS) or the Durie-Salmon system.
The latter checks the amount of calcium inside the blood along with proteins such as monoclonal immunoglobin and hemoglobin.
The initial stage is the smoldering stage, in which the myeloma does not cause active symptoms. This cancer exists but has not spread enough to cause problems.
Stage 1 Kahler’s will show a small number of cancerous cells in the urine and blood.
Hemoglobin levels are just slightly lower in this stage, while a bone X-ray would be clear or show just one affected area.
Stage 2 is far more serious, with increased monoclonal immunoglobin and calcium, while hemoglobin will show a significant decrease.
Furthermore, stage 2 Kahler’s may also cause extensive bone damage.
Stage 3 is the most advanced stage of multiple myeloma, characterized by very low hemoglobin and very high amounts of calcium.
The body shows multiple signs of damage.
Treatment
The treatment of Kahler’s disease depends on the stage of cancer.
Typical treatments for it include radiation, chemotherapy, and plasmapheresis, a blood treatment.
In some cases, bone marrow or stem transplant may be necessary.
However, the treatments cannot cure Kahler’s.
The cancerous cells may decrease in numbers and the symptoms may go away only to recur at another time.
The recurrence makes living with Kahler’s disease incredibly difficult, and regular checks and significant lifestyle changes have to be made.
