Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has managed two complex plasma cell disorder cases that required precise diagnosis and customized interventions after standard treatments proved insufficient, the hospital reported. In one instance, a 53-year-old Tunisian woman named Monia, who was diagnosed with high-risk multiple myeloma in 2018 following coccyx pain, had undergone autologous stem cell transplant, chemotherapy, radiation and antibody therapies yet continued to experience disease progression with bone marrow involvement and reduced blood counts. Dr. Ajlan Al Zaki, staff physician in hematology and blood cancer at the hospital’s Cancer Institute, reviewed her full treatment history and disease characteristics before selecting established medications she had not previously received, according to the hospital account. Subsequent blood tests, PET scans and bone marrow biopsies showed reduced mass sizes and clinical improvement.
The second case involved a 42-year-old Pakistani man named Amir living in Sharjah who initially presented with stiffness and numbness in his feet that physicians first attributed to a neurological issue, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi stated. Further specialist evaluation revealed POEMS syndrome, a rare plasma cell disorder characterized by polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal protein and skin changes that can impact multiple organ systems. The hospital’s multidisciplinary team designed a targeted plan that addressed the specific features of his condition after the accurate diagnosis.
“Plasma cell disorders can behave very differently from one patient to another, which means there is no single approach that works for everyone,” Dr. Ajlan Al Zaki said. The physician emphasized the value of specialist expertise in interpreting complex presentations that may not align with typical disease patterns. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi noted that both cases underscore the necessity of adapting therapies to individual profiles rather than relying on uniform protocols.
A Japanese nationwide survey published in the journal Neurology in 2019 estimated the prevalence of POEMS syndrome at 0.3 per 100,000 people, with a median age of onset at 54 years and a male-to-female ratio of 1.5 to 1. The survey, which collected data from neurology and hematology departments across the country, found that all identified patients exhibited polyneuropathy while 84 percent showed elevated vascular endothelial growth factor levels. Such rarity often leads to delayed or incorrect initial diagnoses, as seen in the Sharjah patient’s experience before referral to the Abu Dhabi facility.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer’s Global Cancer Observatory data places the age-standardized incidence rate of multiple myeloma at 1.8 per 100,000 persons worldwide. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi reported that its Cancer Institute maintains capabilities for advanced diagnostics including next-generation sequencing and specialized imaging that support refined treatment selection. The institution’s approach integrates hematologists, oncologists and supporting specialists to coordinate care for patients with overlapping or atypical symptoms.
Both patients have demonstrated positive responses under the tailored regimens, with Monia showing measurable reductions in disease burden and Amir regaining function after the correct identification of POEMS syndrome, the hospital said. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has positioned these outcomes as examples of how personalized medicine can alter trajectories in plasma cell disorders where generic strategies fall short. The facility continues to accept referrals for similar complex hematologic conditions from across the region.