Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by the proliferation of malignant cells in the bone marrow (Porth, 2009). Also known as plasma cell myeloma, myelomatosis, bone marrow plasmacytosis, or Kahler disease, MM results from the development of a monoclonal immunoglobulin (called M protein), a monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain, or both (Ferreira, 2013). Patients with MM can present with a wide range of signs and symptoms, including bone fractures, anemia, and kidney damage, or no symptoms at all (Lobban and Perkins, 2013). This creates a diagnostic challenge for clinicians, as many of these conditions are of benign etiology (Lobban and Perkins, 2013). Individual variations among patients with this diagnosis also contribute to a complex treatment plan that may include chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, and supportive treatment for comorbidities (Lobban and Perkins, 2013). There is no cure for MM, but recent advances in treatment modalities have been shown to prolong survival and improve quality of life (Lobban & Perkins, 2013). MM is the second most common blood cancer and the most common primary bone malignancy (Kaufman, 2007). It represents 10% of all hematological malignancies and 1% of all cancers (Porth, 2009). It occurs most often in people over the age of 60, with an average diagnosis between 65 and 68 years (Kaufman, 2007). Only 2% of MM cases are identified in patients under 40 years of age and 5% in patients under 50 years of age (Kelly, Meenaghan, & Dowling, 2010). The incidence of MM is higher in men than in women and twice as common in African Americans than in Caucasians (Ferreira, 2013). There also appears to be a family connection as the risk of MM is 3.7 times higher...... middle of article...... Myeloma: making sense of a complex blood cancer. British Journal of Nursing, 19(22), 1415-1421. Lobban, L. and Perkins, S. (2013). Role of the specialist nurse in the care of patients with myeloma. Nursing Standard, 28(5), 37-41.Porth, CM (2009). Disorders of white blood cells and lymphoid tissues. In CM Porth & G. Matfin (Eds.), Pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states, (8th ed., pp. 301-321). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Seiter, K. & Shah, D. (2013). Differential diagnoses of multiple myeloma. Medical landscape. Retrieved from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/204369-differential Sommer, C. (2009). Innate and adaptive immunity. In CM Porth & G. Matfin (Eds.), Pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states, (8th ed., pp. 347-376). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.