AL amyloidosis, also called amyloid light-chain amyloidosis, sometimes occurs alongside other diseases — including blood cancers such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma. Amyloidosis is often a complication of these cancers. A complication is a condition that occurs during or after an existing disease or its treatment.

AL amyloidosis may also be comorbid with blood cancers. Comorbidities are two diseases that occur at the same time. When AL amyloidosis and blood cancers like multiple myeloma occur together, it’s often because they come from the same group of abnormal cells.

Is Amyloidosis a Type of Cancer?

Specialists don’t consider amyloidosis to be a form of blood cancer. However, there is some overlap between these conditions. AL amyloidosis is caused by specific blood cells that may also be involved in cancer. Additionally, AL amyloidosis and blood cancers may be treated with some of the same therapies.

Causes of AL Amyloidosis vs. Blood Cancers

AL amyloidosis is caused by abnormal plasma cells. They’re usually found in the bone marrow, a type of tissue found inside certain bones.

When the body encounters germs, such as bacteria or viruses, a type of white blood cell called a B cell transforms into a plasma cell. Normal plasma cells make antibodies — proteins that kill germs and protect the body.

The antibodies, also called immunoglobulins, are made up of two parts: heavy chains and light chains. In AL amyloidosis, plasma cells make abnormal immunoglobulin light chains. These proteins clump together, forming amyloid fibrils that build up in the body.

AL amyloidosis develops when abnormal blood cells make amyloid proteins, whereas blood cancer develops when blood cells grow out of control. This uncontrolled growth generally happens after a cell develops multiple genetic changes.

The gene changes make cells grow and produce new cells too quickly. While blood cancers cause high levels of abnormal cells, people with amyloidosis generally have lower levels of abnormal plasma cells than people with blood cancers.

Why do these two conditions sometimes occur together? Abnormal plasma cells or B cells, which can be seen in multiple myeloma, can produce immunoglobulin light chains that misfold and clump together, leading to amyloidosis.

It’s important to note, however, that having blood cancer doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll develop amyloidosis. Amyloidosis is still rare, even among people with cancer.

Treatments for AL Amyloidosis vs. Blood Cancers

AL amyloidosis is often treated with the same medications used to treat multiple myeloma or lymphoma. For both types of conditions, the goal of treatment is to kill abnormal blood cells.

As of 2025, the current FDA-approved first-line treatment regimen for newly diagnosed AL amyloidosis is daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj (Darzalex Faspro) combined with bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone. Similar combinations of medications are used as targeted therapies for multiple myeloma.

A stem cell transplant can also be used to treat some cases of AL amyloidosis. During this procedure, a person’s abnormal plasma cells are destroyed using high-dose chemotherapy. Then, the person’s previously collected stem cells are returned via an infusion to restore blood cell production. This is called an autologous stem cell transplant.

Stem cells make all the other cell types found in the blood. A stem cell transplant can also help treat blood cancers that occur along with amyloidosis.

Blood Cancers Associated With AL Amyloidosis

AL amyloidosis can occur along with several types of blood cancer. Scientists know cancer cells can sometimes produce amyloid proteins. However, they still don’t know much about the overall disease process or why amyloidosis occurs in some, but not all, people with cancer.

Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that is often linked to AL amyloidosis. Multiple myeloma develops from plasma cells, the same cell type that causes AL amyloidosis.

Cancerous plasma cells produce high levels of an abnormal immunoglobulin protein, which may be called monoclonal protein, M protein, M spike, or paraprotein. These misfolded immunoglobulin proteins or light-chain fragments sometimes form amyloids by attaching to each other or to other proteins.

About 15 percent of people who have multiple myeloma develop AL amyloidosis. Amyloidosis may be more likely to affect certain groups of people. About 2 out of 3 people with AL amyloidosis are male, and most are between the ages of 50 and 80.

People with multiple myeloma should watch out for certain signs and symptoms that can indicate AL amyloidosis. These include:

People with myeloma may have different sets of symptoms depending on which organs are affected by amyloidosis. In one study of 47 people with both AL amyloidosis and multiple myeloma, 62 percent had amyloid deposits in just one organ, and 23 percent of participants had deposits in multiple organs.

If you have multiple myeloma and your doctor suspects you may also have AL amyloidosis, they may recommend you undergo a serum-free light-chain assay. This test measures the amount of abnormal light-chain proteins found in your blood. In addition, doctors use serum and urine immunofixation, or lab tests to look for abnormal proteins, to determine if more tests are needed.

Based on the results of lab tests, your doctor may tell you to get a biopsy (removal of tissue with a needle) of your abdominal fat or bone marrow. Doctors can use the biopsy sample to confirm whether amyloid proteins are present.

Other Blood Cancers

In rare cases, other types of cancerous blood cells can also produce amyloid fibrils.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

AL amyloidosis rarely develops in people with lymphoma. Approximately 2 percent to 4 percent of AL amyloidosis cases occur in people with B-cell lymphoma.

B-cell lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This cancer develops when lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) quickly multiply in the lymph nodes, bone marrow, blood, or certain organs.

AL amyloidosis can also develop from Waldenstrӧm’s macroglobulinemia, another type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This cancer is a mix between multiple myeloma and B-cell lymphoma — the cells look and act like both plasma cells and B cells.

People with AL amyloidosis and non-Hodgkin lymphoma tend to have amyloid deposits in the lymph nodes and in the lungs. Treatment for AL amyloidosis associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma typically targets the underlying lymphoma — not the amyloidosis itself.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia

AL amyloidosis is often a complication of blood cancer. However, blood cancer can also be a complication of amyloidosis treatment. Rarely, people with AL amyloidosis later develop acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as a complication of plasma cell disorder treatment.

Some amyloidosis treatments can damage cells and eventually lead to AML. Talk to your doctor to learn more about the risks and side effects of different amyloidosis treatment options.

Consequences of AL Amyloidosis and Blood Cancer

Depending on your individual health situation, you may or may not be able to use the same treatments for both amyloidosis and blood cancer.

One study of 47 people showed that when people with multiple myeloma were later diagnosed with AL amyloidosis, they switched treatments about 50 percent of the time. In the other half of cases, people continued to use the same treatments to manage both conditions.

Additionally, your prognosis is affected by where in your body amyloid deposits occur. People with multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis who have no heart symptoms and those who only have amyloid deposits in one organ are likely to have a better prognosis.

Some people with lymphoma only have amyloid deposition in one small area surrounding the cancer cells. Others have amyloid fibrils spread throughout the body (called systemic amyloidosis). People who have systemic amyloidosis tend to have worse outcomes.

Modern daratumumab-based treatments have significantly improved outcomes, but your stage and progression in AL amyloidosis can be influenced by many different factors. Talk to your healthcare team if you would like to get a better idea of what to expect.