Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (WM)/Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL)
WM is a cancer of the B lymphocytes (B cells) and is subtype of LPL. WM is an indolent (slow-growing) lymphoma (also known as low grade), which can be managed as a chronic cancer for a number of years. However, it is not yet curable. It occurs mostly in older adults.
WM occurs when there is a malignant transformation (acquires the properties of cancer) of a B cell in the late stages of maturing, and it continues to proliferate into a clone of identical cells. This occurs primarily in the bone marrow but can also occur in the lymph nodes and other tissues and organs of the lymphatic system. These clonal cells over-produce an antibody of a specific class called immunoglobulin M (IgM). WM is also marked by an enlarged liver, spleen, or lymph nodes.