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Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia : ウィキペディア英語版 | Waldenström's macroglobulinemia
Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM, also known as lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma) is cancer affecting B cells, a type of white blood cell. The main attributing antibody is immunoglobulin M (IgM). WM is an "indolent lymphoma," (i.e., one that tends to grow and spread slowly). It is a type of lymphoproliferative disease, which shares clinical characteristics with the indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The disease, named after the Swedish oncologist Jan G. Waldenström, was first identified in 1944. As with other lymphomas, the disease is characterized by an uncontrolled increase of B-cells, i.e., white blood cells formed in the bone marrow and lymph nodes. The proliferation of B-cells interferes with the production of red blood cells, resulting in anemia. A unique characteristic of the disease is that the B-cells produce excess amounts of immunoglobulin protein (IgM), thickening the blood, and requiring additional treatment. WM is a rare disease, with only about 1,500 cases per year in the U.S. While the disease is incurable, it is treatable. Because of its indolent nature, many patients are able to lead active lives, and, when treatment is required, may experience years of symptom-free remission.〔International Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF). "Living with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia."〕 ==History and classification== WM was first described by Jan G. Waldenström (1906–1996) in 1944 in two patients with bleeding from the nose and mouth, anemia, decreased levels of fibrinogen in the blood (hypofibrinogenemia), swollen lymph nodes, neoplastic plasma cells in bone marrow, and increased viscosity of the blood due to increased levels of a class of heavy proteins called macroglobulins. For a time, WM was considered to be related to multiple myeloma due to the presence of monoclonal gammopathy and infiltration of the bone marrow and other organs by plasmacytoid lymphocytes. The new World Health Organization (WHO) classification, however, places WM under the category of lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas, itself a subcategory of the indolent (low-grade) non-Hodgkin lymphomas. In recent years, there have been significant advances in the understanding and treatment of WM.
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