The Lab: Treatment Options

As previously mentioned, Myeloma can currently not be cured, however it can be treated. I hope to shed a bit of light on the options available to myeloma patients here however, as usual, I encourage you to visit Myeloma Canada to learn more.

Treatments for multiple myeloma focus on containment and suppression of the cancerous cells in an attempt to minimize damaging effects of the cancer and prolong the patient's life. Each myeloma patient is unique and as such, each treatment is tailored to the individual patient and the stage which they are at.

Often, patients with multiple myeloma will undergo long periods with no treatment at all. Since the goal of treatment is to contain the disease, if the cancer shows no signs of progressing, patients will simply be monitored until signs are shown that the plasma cells are no longer stable. At this point, there are a variety of options to help bring the cancerous levels back to an acceptable level. Often, many of these methods are combined to give the most effective possible treatment.

Radiation therapy can be used to damage cancerous cells and stop them from reproducing. If the myeloma is concentrated in a specific location, this can be a very effective form of treatment. The problem however is that since myeloma is a cancer of the blood and marrow, it is often spread throughout the entire body and full body irradiation has been found to have limited effects.

Steroids can be used to help treat myeloma, however they are often used in combination with other drugs to increase their effectiveness. Long term use is often avoided due to unwanted side effects.

Chemotherapy is one of the most effective treatments in controlling the proliferation of cancerous cells. A variety of drugs are available which help to reduce the number of plasma cells in the bone marrow and thus decrease the level of proteins they produce. Recently, studies have combined these drugs with biophosphonates and thalidomide to help increase the effectiveness of the chemo and also to help strengthen the bones which are weakened by myeloma.

In some cases high-dose chemotherapy is used to bring the cancerous levels low enough to harvest some of the patients stem cells. These stem cells can later be used to transplant back into the patient in hopes of producing healthy plasma cells and proteins. If a patient's cancer count can not be brought low enough, a stem cell transplant is also possible by using another person's stem cells, however acceptance rates are low unless you're lucky enough to have an identical twin. Stem cell transplants are a very intensive treatment with a number of side effects and are often not suitable for those in poorer health.

This outlines a rough description of some of the treatments available for myeloma, however the key to fighting this disease is always in the patient. Since each person responds differently to the various treatments available, the key is in observation. Myeloma patients are under constant supervision to see how their cancer is progressing, what treatments they respond well to and what future options are available to them.

While none of these treatments is a cure, they are improving. With your help, the Molly & David Bloom Chair in Multiple Myeloma Research at the Princess Margaret Hospital will soon start moving closer and closer to a cure.

sources:
http://www.myelomacanada.ca/en/treatment_options.htm
http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Myeloma/Treatment/Treatmentoverview
http://www.multiplemyeloma.org/treatments/index.php