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Recognizing April 27th as Multiple Myeloma Awareness Day.
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WHEREAS, The Multiple Myeloma Network of Philadelphia will be hosting its fifth annual "Miles for Myeloma" 5K Walk/Run on Saturday, April 27th at 9:00 a.m. at Dr. Martin Luther King Drive (near the Art Museum); and
WHEREAS, Multiple Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow, which help the body to detect and attack foreign substances like toxins, viruses, bacteria, and parasites that may have entered one's body and it is called "multiple" because the cancer can occur at multiple sites; and
WHEREAS, The exact cause of Multiple Myeloma has not been identified, however, researchers have gained a greater understanding of how specific changes in DNA can cause plasma cells to become more cancerous; and
WHEREAS, A number of risk factors for this disease have been identified, including age and having other plasma cell diseases, and common signs and symptoms of Multiple Myeloma vary based on the extent of the disease and include bone pain, fatigue, weakness, and recurrent infections; and
WHEREAS, Multiple Myeloma may be first detected in routine blood tests, however, additional tests, including bone marrow tests, may be necessary to verify the diagnosis and the treatment and prognosis for the disease depends on various factors including its stage and the patient's age and treatment may include bone marrow/stem cell transplantation, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy; and
WHEREAS, Multiple Myeloma affects more than 100,000 people in the United States, with an estimated 20,000 new cases diagnosed each year and 10,000 losing their battle each year and the disease is the second most common blood cancer and third fastest growing cancer in terms of mortality in people over the age of 65; and
WHEREAS, African Americans have the highest reported incidence of Multiple Myeloma and it is one of the top 1...
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