Multiple Myeloma: What Is It and Can Doctors Fix NBA's Pat Williams?

(CBS) Pat Williams, the senior vice president of the Orlando Magic basketball team, is hoping doctors can put a slam dunk on what's ailing him - a lesser known cancer called multiple myeloma.

The disease isn't curable but is treatable - and Williams says he's ready to fight.

When told by his doctors that the chances of remission were 70 to 75 percent, Williams said, "I like those odds. I am going to beat this," according to NBA.com.

Here's what he's facing, according to the National Institutes of Health:

• In multiple myeloma, plasma cells grow out of control in the bone marrow and form tumors in solid bone.
  

• These tumors make it hard for bone marrow to make red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

The disease can be painful as the tumors grow. If the spine is affected, numbness and paralysis can result.

Some signs of multiple myeloma aren't obvious. Back pain, fever, fatigue, and increased infections could be lots of things - or nothing. In Williams' case, the disease was caught by a yearly physical.

The 70-year-old is getting twice-weekly chemotherapy treatments, according to NBA.com. Other common treatments include radiation therapy, bone marrow transplantation, and different drugs - some that help bone marrow produce healthy blood cells, others that strengthen the immune system. For some slow-growing cancers, doctors watch and wait.

Complications can include broken bones, infections, and - in the tough cases - paralysis. But Williams' doctor said he should be back in the game soon, and that other than bouts of fatigue, he can live a normal life.