Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Eyestalk Ablation to Increase Ovarian Maturation in Mud Crabs
04:28

Eyestalk Ablation to Increase Ovarian Maturation in Mud Crabs

Published on: March 31, 2023

2.6K

Hypercalcaemia, renal dysfunction, anaemia and bone lesions (CRAB) do not always represent multiple myeloma: diffuse

Hafez Mohammad Ammar Abdullah1, Moataz Ellithi1, Qazi Waqas1

  • 1Internal Medicine, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA.

BMJ Case Reports
|August 7, 2019
PubMed

Insights

The CRAB features (hypercalcaemia, renal dysfunction, anaemia, bone lesions) often suggest multiple myeloma. However, this case shows these signs can also indicate diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Hematology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • The CRAB features (hypercalcaemia, renal dysfunction, anaemia, bone lesions) are classically associated with multiple myeloma.
  • These symptoms necessitate a thorough differential diagnosis, including other hematologic malignancies.

Observation:

  • A 69-year-old male presented with severe bone pain, fatigue, and constipation.
  • Clinical findings included hypercalcaemia, acute kidney injury, anaemia, and lytic bone lesions.

Findings:

  • Initial investigations for multiple myeloma, including protein electrophoresis and free light chain assays, were negative.
  • A bone marrow biopsy ultimately diagnosed diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Implications:

  • This case underscores that the CRAB features are not pathognomonic for multiple myeloma.
  • It highlights the importance of comprehensive diagnostic workups to differentiate between hematologic malignancies presenting with similar clinical features.

Keywords:
cancer interventiononcology

More Related Videos

Blood Collection from the American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus Polyphemus12:48

Blood Collection from the American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus Polyphemus

Published on: October 13, 2008

30.7K
Using the Horseshoe Crab, Limulus Polyphemus, in Vision Research14:28

Using the Horseshoe Crab, Limulus Polyphemus, in Vision Research

Published on: July 3, 2009

14.8K

Related Concept Videos

The Representativeness Heuristic02:13

The Representativeness Heuristic

The representative heuristic describes a biased way of thinking, in which you unintentionally stereotype someone or something. For example, you may assume that your professors spend their free time reading books and engaging in intellectual conversation, because the idea of them spending their time playing volleyball or visiting an amusement park does not fit in with your stereotypes of professors.
16.7K
Diffusion01:12

Diffusion

Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...
216.5K
Diffusion01:21

Diffusion

Diffusion is a type of passive transport. In passive transport, a substance tends to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until the concentration is equal across the space. For example, take the diffusion of substances through the air. When someone opens a perfume bottle in a room filled with people, the perfume is at its highest concentration in the bottle and is at its lowest at the edges of the room. The perfume vapor will diffuse, or spread away, from the...
6.3K
Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications01:15

Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications

For most patients, experiencing several weeks of polyuria, polydipsia, fatigue, and significant weight loss may indicate the presence of diabetes. Furthermore, adults displaying the phenotypic appearance of type 2 diabetes (particularly those who are obese and not initially insulin-requiring), may have islet cell autoantibodies, suggesting autoimmune-mediated β cell destruction and a diagnosis of latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). The categorization of glucose homeostasis is...
2.1K
Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia01:30

Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia indicate a reduction or absence of typical behaviors and emotional responses found in healthy individuals, while positive symptoms reflect an excess or distortion of normal functioning.
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
488
Bone Cells and Tissue01:30

Bone Cells and Tissue

Bones contain a relatively small number of cells entrenched in a matrix of organic and inorganic components. Although bone cells compose only a small amount of the bone volume, they are crucial to its function. Four types of cells are found within the bone tissue— osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteogenic cells, and osteoclasts.
Osteoblasts and Osteocytes
The osteoblast is the bone cell responsible for forming new bone tissue. It is found in the growing portions of bone, including the...
8.1K