Shahab S, Semerdzhiev DI, Reeves J, Daniel A, Martin DE, Sukpraprut-Braaten S. Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia: Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Management in an Elderly Male.
Cureus 2023;
15:e44127. [PMID:
37750145 PMCID:
PMC10518236 DOI:
10.7759/cureus.44127]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare lymphoproliferative disease that can have an ambiguous clinical presentation. A key component of the pathophysiology of WM is bone marrow infiltration, which most commonly presents as anemia. Other symptoms of WM tend to be generalized and non-specific, which presents a diagnostic challenge. This was the case with our patient as well, when he presented to our outpatient clinic with non-specific symptoms. We present a 79-year-old male with longstanding pancytopenia, polyarthralgia, bilateral pedal edema, decreased appetite, and increased bleeding from wounds. The patient had a complete blood count (CBC) and complete metabolic panel (CMP) done, confirming present anemia, which prompted inpatient treatment and an oncology workup, confirming WM. The patient began a zanubrutinib monotherapy regimen, showing improvement in his pancytopenia, polyarthralgia, and overall symptoms.
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