The staging of a disease, also commonly known as numbering, plays a significant role in the treatment of multiple myeloma and its symptoms. Each stage signifies the changes your body is going through and the damages caused by the underlying condition. Nearly all cancers are staged depending on the size and spread of the tumor. In advanced stages, complications like amyloidosis can develop. These are a group of diseases caused by abnormal protein buildup in the tissues. Accurate staging means that doctors have a better chance at using the right procedures to cure one of cancer.

The different stages of multiple myeloma, most often, measure four substances, namely:

• Albumin levels in the blood that determine your overall health
• Beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) levels indicating the intensity of multiple myeloma
• Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels that show up in case the disease is advanced
• Genetic changes showing that the condition is very aggressive

There are three basic stages of multiple myeloma, predicting the levels of various proteins and enzymes. They also provide the basis for prognosis and expectations further on. The different stages of multiple myeloma as determined by doctors are as follows:

Stage 1

• Albumin levels and the degree of Beta-2 microglobulin and lactate dehydrogenase are more or less normal
• The cancer cells are not as aggressive
• It’s possible to treat multiple myeloma at this stage. However, it’s the stage where the condition is usually undiagnosed since there are no symptoms observed

Stage 2

• While albumin levels are low, Beta-2 microglobulin levels are normal or a little higher
• Treatment at this stage enables the individual to live for a little over seven years following the procedures

Stage 3

• Beta-2 microglobulin is very high, indicating that the disease is widespread and at an advanced stage
• There will be dangerous changes in the cells’ DNA and lactate dehydrogenase levels are very high
• The life expectancy after treatment at this stage is around 3.5 years

The International Staging System for multiple myeloma
This system uses levels of calcium, hemoglobin, and proteins in the bones and the blood to detect the aggressiveness of multiple myeloma. The different stages of multiple myeloma under this system are as follows:

Stage 1

• Hemoglobin and calcium levels are normal
• X-rays display either no bone damage or only a single bone marrow tumor
• The abnormal levels of protein in the blood and urine are very low

Stage 2

• The calcium, hemoglobin and abnormal protein levels are at an intermediate stage
• There may be faint signs of kidney damage or nothing at all

Stage 3

• Hemoglobin levels are low and calcium levels in the blood are high
• There are more than three cases of bone damage
• The levels of abnormal proteins are very high