Temporomandibular joint involvement in patients with multiple myeloma-a retrospective study

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a common hematological malignancy that has widespread manifestations in multiple organs, including bones and joints. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the involvement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in patients with MM. Consecutive subjects with a diagnosis of MM who presented to the oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic for routine evaluation between 2008 and 2014 were identified. Patients who had a computed tomography (CT) scan of the TMJs as part of their MM staging were included in the study. Outcome variables were the presence of TMJ myelomatous changes on CT and the presence of TMJ symptoms. Of the 88 patients included in the study, 28 demonstrated TMJ myelomatous lesions on CT scans and 10 patients complained of TMJ pain or dysfunction. The CT scans of seven of the 10 symptomatic patients demonstrated myelomatous involvement of the TMJ area. Myelomatous involvement of the TMJ is common in MM patients and the majority of lesions are asymptomatic. An MM patient complaining of temporomandibular symptoms is relatively highly likely to having a lesion in the TMJ. Diagnosing the myelomatous lesions in the TMJ is important for accurate hemato-oncologic staging and providing treatment without delay.