Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) makes up about 10% of all hematological tumor diseases and in spite of the progress in treatment, it is still an incurable disease, even at the beginning of the new millennium. The basic procedures remain unchanged.
To determine the prognosis, it is necessary to provide the patient with many specialized examinations. The criteria for diagnosing the multiple myeloma worked out by Dury and Salmon in the 1970s are still valid.
Technical progress, mainly the use of MRI, makes it possible to detect the skeleton damages earlier. The question of optimal treatment timing remains unanswered because there are no data about the positive influence of an early start to the therapy on the long-term survival rate.
All physicians in the Czech Republic are called on to discuss and formulate similar Czech ?guidelines?.