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Multiple myeloma Treatment  
INFORMATIVE 

Tags: Multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma Treatment

	varies between individuals. Since myeloma cannot be cured with standard chemotherapy, all therapy is considered palliative. Since all therapy can be associated with side effects, therapy is generally reserved for patients with symptomatic myeloma and not administered to patients with indolent, or non-aggressive disease. The choice of therapy also depends on the age and general health of the patient. Young individuals with very aggressive disease may choose to pursue aggressive chemotherapy options, while elderly patients with more indolent forms of the disorder may choose less intense forms of oral chemotherapy, or no therapy at all.
	Chemotherapy. There are numerous forms of oral and intravenous chemotherapy that are used as therapy for myeloma. Standard oral forms of chemotherapy include corticosteroids, thalidomide, and melphalan. Intravenous chemotherapy agents include velcade and other traditional chemotherapy drugs. These agents can either be given alone or in combination.
	Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy can be used to treat areas of bony pain caused by plasma cell destruction. Sometimes, plasma cells gather in solid tumors, called plasmacytomas, which may be treated with radiation therapy.
	Supportive therapy. This therapy tries to get the body to fight cancer. It uses materials made by your own body or made in a laboratory to boost, direct, or restore your body's natural defenses against disease. Biological therapy is sometimes called biological response modifier (BRM) therapy or immunotherapy.
	Bone marrow transplantation. Bone marrow transplantation is commonly used to treat multiple myeloma. The procedure is done when the disease is considered to be in a remission (when the least amount of myeloma cells are present in the bone marrow). First, healthy stem cells are removed from the blood stream or from the marrow itself. These stem cells are frozen and stored in the laboratory. Next, high doses of chemotherapy are given to kill all the remaining myeloma cells in the bone marrow. Unfortunately, 100% of the myeloma cells cannot be killed with chemotherapy. Once the chemotherapy has been given, the healthy, frozen stem cells are readministered to the patient. These cells reconstitute the bone marrow and immune system. This procedure is used to prolong remission, but unfortunately it is not curative.
	Occasionally, stem cells from a healthy donor are used rather than a patient’s own stem cells. This procedure, called an allogeneic transplant, is much riskier than the procedure using one’s own stem cells; however, it has the potential to cure the condition.

Lister: BobbysWorld
Source: Compiled by Editors

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