The number of Australians being diagnosed with a complex blood cancer is forecast to rise sharply over the next 25 years, new research shows. or signup to continue reading Some 80,000 people will have contracted multiple myeloma by 2043, an increase of nearly 15 per cent on previous predictions. Mortality rates are projected to fall by about 27.
5 per cent, according to a to a study led by the Daffodil Centre in a joint venture between Cancer Council NSW and the University of Sydney. But, even so, about 28,000 - equivalent to more than one in a thousand of the current population - will die from the disease, the research published in the Medical Journal of Australia found. Myeloma affects plasma cells found inside bone marrow, which creates antibodies to kill viruses, bacteria and fungi.
When a person has myeloma, the cells do not fulfil their function and crowd the marrow so there is not enough room for new working cells to grow. Symptoms include fatigue, prolonged infections and unexplained bone aches or bruising, but the signs can be subtle and often go undetected for some time. The average age for diagnosis is 71.
Most people - 90 per cent, according to Cancer Council Australia - have multiple lesions at the time of diagnosis, which is why it is most commonly referred to as multiple myeloma. It is a complex cancer to treat and little is known about preventing the disease or identifying people at increased risk, study lead author Associate Professor Eleonora Feletto said. "T.
