title: Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia: to treat or not to treat?
abstract: Waldenstrom's macroglobulinaemia (WM) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder. It is mostly seen in the elderly population with a median age of 65 years at the time of diagnosis. The clinical presentation is variable and the patient may be entirely asymptomatic. The slow progressive nature of the disease allows many patients to survive for more than 5 years. At times it may be difficult for a clinician to determine the timing of therapy. We present an interesting case of WM that highlights the typical course of the disease and timing of its management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Dharamshila Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sundriyal
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, PGIMER & Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Naveen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Dharamshila Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sumedha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kotwal
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Dharamshila Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Nikhil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shirsi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D003657:Decision Making; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D000069283:Rituximab; D013997:Time Factors; D008258:Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab