Abstract
Kidney damage in multiple myeloma is very common and to various extent, it can affect up to 50% of patients suffering from this most common haematological malignancy. Aetiology of kidney damage is multifactorial, but crucial role is played by light chains which are filtered into the urine, where they cause various forms of renal damage.
Among the most serious of those is tubular damage (myeloma or cast nephropathy), which is the most common cause of acute renal failure in multiple myeloma. Glomerular damage is typical for AL amyloidosis or disease caused by deposition of light chains, which manifest mostly by nephrotic syndrome.
Timely and adequate chemotherapy focused on quickly lowering the levels of light chains in the serum can help stop the development of renal failure. New therapeutic procedures can currently be used to this effect (combination of high dose dexamethasone with bortezomib or thalidomide or lenalidomide), which are able to induce a haematological response in a matter of days.
In cases of kidney failure caused by multiple myeloma, it is possible to accelerate removal of light chains from the serum using high cut-off dialysis. This method can increase the chances of reparation of renal function from 20% to 80%.
Even though the overall prognosis for patients with multiple myeloma and their survival have dramatically improved in recent years, the situation in cases of presence of kidney failure remains dire.