A Case of Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia Complained of Anorexia

Abstract

It has been reported that an 82-year-old man had complained of “anorexia with wasting away (weight loss of 35 pounds) over the past six months”. The cause was unknown, and his appetite dropped to only liquid milk and soy milk every day. On further examination, his CA-199 (a tumor marker) was in the normal range, but the serum IgM level was found to be 4 times higher than normal, and lymphoplasmacytic cells in his bone marrow were 2 times higher than normal. His myeloid differentiation factor (MYD88) was detected to be positive in gene mutations, confirming a diagnosis of “Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia” (WM) complicated with “Bing-Neel syndrome” (BNS); as a result, the anorexia was attributed to it, and the symptomatic treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was proposed to improve his condition.