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Multiple Myeloma Treatment

July 21, 2007 on 7:11 am | In Diseases and Conditions |

Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that affects the plasma type of white blood cells. Multiple myeloma is a systemic malignancy of plasma cells that is highly treatable but rarely curable. The disease can cause systemic ailments, including infections and renal failure, and local catastrophes, including pathologic fractures and spinal cord compression. Myeloma cells tend to collect in the bone marrow and in the hard, outer part of bones. Sometimes they collect in only one bone and form a single mass, or tumor, called a plasmacytoma. In most cases, however, the myeloma cells collect in many bones, often forming many tumors and causing other problems. When this happens, the disease is called multiple myeloma. There are over 13,500 new cases of Myeloma in the U.S. each year, representing 20 percent of blood cancers, and one percent of all types of cancer. The incidence varies from country to country, with a rate of 1 in 100,000 in China to approximately 1 in 400,000 in most Western industrialized countries. Myeloma is more common in blacks than whites, with the male/female ratio 3:2.

Multiple myeloma is a disease of older people. Most patients who receive the diagnosis are aged 60-65 years. Only 3-5% of patients with multiple myeloma are younger than 45 years. The disease is rare in children. Risk of developing myeloma in individuals with significant exposures in the agriculture, food, and petrochemical industries. Blacks in the United States are twice as likely to suffer from multiple myeloma as whites. In fact, multiple myeloma is the most common hematologic malignancy in the U.S. black population. Treatment may help control symptoms and complications. Options include chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation and radiation. Pre-transplantation therapy used until now made patients undergo chemotherapy. Administered alternately two drugs (Bortezomid and Dexamethasone) before conducting autologous bone marrow transplantations. Bortezomib  is the first in a new class of medicines called proteasome inhibitors, and the first treatment in more than a decade to be approved by the FDA for patients with multiple myeloma.

Chemotherapy is one of the main treatments for multiple myeloma. Bisphosphonate therapy serves as prophylaxis  against skeletal events. Adjunctive therapy for myeloma includes radiation therapy to target areas of pain, impending pathologic fracture, or existing pathologic fracture. Erythropoietin may ameliorate anemia resulting from either myeloma alone or from chemotherapy and has been shown to improve quality of life. Radiation therapy uses high energy X-rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing. In this form of treatment, a large machine aims the rays at a tumor and the surrounding area. Immunotherapy for myeloma has been evaluated primarily with interferon-alpha, demonstrating direct anti-tumor effects in vitro.Alfa interferon reduces growth of myeloma colonies and the plasma cell labeling index in vitro. Alfa interferon can be used as monotherapy or together with melphalan and prednisone during the induction phase of treatment. Allogeneic stem-cell marrow transplantation is currently being offered to selected patients.

Multiple Myeloma Treatment Tips

1. Chemotherapy is one of the main treatments for multiple myeloma.

2. Bisphosphonate therapy serves as prophylaxis  against skeletal events.

3. Adjunctive therapy for myeloma includes radiation therapy to target areas of pain, impending pathologic fracture, or existing pathologic fracture.

4. Erythropoietin may ameliorate anemia resulting from either myeloma alone or from chemotherapy and has been shown to improve quality of life.

5. Radiation therapy uses high energy X-rays to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing.

6. Immunotherapy for myeloma has been evaluated primarily with interferon-alpha, demonstrating direct anti-tumor effects in vitro.

7. Alfa interferon reduces growth of myeloma colonies and the plasma cell labeling index in vitro.

8. Allogeneic stem-cell marrow transplantation is currently being offered to selected patients.