Consensus on Surgical Management of Myeloma Bone Disease

Myeloma bone disease (MBD), the skeletal lesions caused by multiple myeloma, is also known as skeletal related events and includes bone pain, osteoporosis, pathological fractures, osteolytic bone lesions, spinal instability, spinal cord and nerve root compression and extramedullary plasmacytoma. It is now generally accepted that patients with these complications usually require surgical management and that such treatment is safe and effective. The aims of surgical interventions are to alleviate pain, improve quality of life, treat potential or existing pathological fractures, decompress the spinal cord and nerve roots, and reestablish bone continuity. Thus far, there have not been uniform standards for surgical treatment of MBD. The Surgeon's Committee of the Chinese Myeloma Working Group has therefore achieved a consensus with the aim of providing guidance for clinicians and benefitting patients with MBD. This consensus focuses on the treatment of MBD, including its clinical definition and characteristics, diagnosis and surgical management. This expert consensus document was compiled after discussion and revision by experts from several relevant institutions in China. However, it is only an interim guide that cannot be enforced legally. It will be updated with development of new techniques of treatment.