Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia (WM) is an incurable lymphoid cancer with (1) malignant lymphoblastic B cells infiltrating the bone marrow and other tissues and (2) abnormality in the amount of serum monoclonal IgM, an immune related protein. The bone marrow infiltration reduces the patient’s ability to form new white immune cells and new red blood cells.
The author reports on a 55-year-old male with WM who was found to have low levels of testosterone. He was treated with testosterone and after 6 months of treatment the anemia that he had due to the WM was gone. The anemia had been due to the infiltration of the bone marrow and the elevated serum IgM was reduced after 6 months of testoserone.
The usual treatment for WM includes adrenal steroids, chemotherapy, antibody therapy, stem cell therapy and immunotherapy.
CONCLUSION: This is believed to be the first case of Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia treated with testosterone with improvement of the anemia due to the disease and improvement of the IgM immune protein levels.
NOTE: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is supplemental therapy to increase male testosterone levels.
To read the author’s abstract of the article click on the link to the author’s title of the article above.
PMID: 16783787.
Summary #099.
