I was told today of a type of leukemia called…what? Did he say Waldron Storm? I looked it up, and nothing. Is there something like that? What did I hear? Any help here?
Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (or Waldenstrom anemia)
http://www.mayoclinic.org/waldenstroms-macroglobulinemia/diagnosis.html
Yeah, it’s called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia and is more akin to multiple myeloma than leukemia. That is to say, it’s a cancer of the antibody producing type of white blood cells as opposed to the more generic ‘leukemia’ which is essentially a ‘cancer of the white blood cells’.
In addition to the ‘usual’ troubles associated with tumors of the white blood cells, WM also has its own as well. Specifically, the antibody produced by the cancerous antibody-producing white blood cells is often directed against the person’s own nerves; the result, as might be expected, can be loss of feeling, or paralysis, or both, in various parts of the body. Further, as a result of the high levels of the antibody that the cancerous white cells are producing (and also because the antibody so produced tends to be a rather large molecule), the blood can become very viscous and thick. This is called, naturally enough, the hyperviscosity syndrome. Sluggish blood flow can ensue and cause various disturbances in the body, but especially in the brain.