About The Webinar
This webinar aims to provide essential information about pathology, diagnostic tools and treatments for canine multiple myeloma. Although multiple myeloma is an uncommon lymphoproliferative disease in dogs, it is important to have a general understanding as often these patients are seen as an emergency. Multiple myeloma is a B cell malignancy characterized by the infiltration and growth of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Myeloma cells are clonal expansions of a neoplastic plasma cell, and they produce an identical immunoglobulin protein in large quantities. These proteins can often be identified as a monoclonal spike on a serum or urine protein electrophoresis. The pathologic conditions associated with multiple myeloma are related to the effects of the circulating proteins as well as organ or bone marrow dysfunction due to neoplastic infiltration. High serum protein concentrations may result in hyperviscosity syndrome which can be detrimental if undiagnosed and therefore left untreated. Other conditions include osteolysis, hemorrhagic diathesis, cytopenias, hypercalcemia, renal disease, and increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. Diagnosing multiple myeloma is adapted from human medicine and requires confirmation of a number of criteria this seminar talks about. Recommended primary staging tests include a haematology, serum chemistry profile, and urinalysis, although advanced diagnostic modalities may be required. When treating patients with multiple myeloma, it is necessary not only to treat the underlying neoplasia with chemotherapy but also the secondary conditions associated with the disease. This course provides an overview of different chemotherapetutics that can be used but also gives guidelines on treatments of secondary conditions. The overall response rate for dogs treated with melphalan and prednisone chemotherapy is 92%.
