Dr. Bianchi on Diagnostic Factors for AL Amyloidosis

Giada Bianchi, MD, a physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, discusses diagnostic factors for light chain (AL) amyloidosis.

Diagnostic delay remains as a notable challenge in AL amyloidosis, according to Bianchi. Patients who have advanced cardiac involvement often express disease symptoms for months and possibly years, Bianchi explains. Notably, this disease is a mimicker and can present with subtle symptoms at the outset, which can make the diagnostic process challenging, she says.

Depending on the organ that is involved, patients can present with a variety of symptoms. ​​​​​​​As such, it is important to be aware that any patient who has progressive symptoms of unclear nature, particularly those with smoldering myeloma, should be screened for AL amyloidosis, Bianchi concludes.