Types and Goals of Treatment ... Health Article

Each type of treatment for multiple myeloma has a different goal. Here is a list of main treatments and their goals for myeloma. They are listed in the order from the most to the least common. You may have more than one of these treatments.

• Chemotherapy. This is the use of drugs that kill cancer cells. The goal of this treatment is to control the cancer for as long as possible. Multiple myeloma is very sensitive to chemotherapy and is used to treat most people who have it.

• Immunotherapy. This treatment stimulates the immune system to fight multiple myeloma. The 2 main drugs used are Thalomid (thalidomide) and Revlimid (lenalidomide). They help keep multiple myeloma cells from reproducing within bone marrow. 

• Radiation therapy. The goal of this treatment is to ease symptoms. It can help with bone pain. Radiation can also prevent or treat a fracture in the area of the bone weakened by the cancer.

• Stem cell transplants. This is a newer form of treatment. It’s also called a peripheral stem cell transplant. The goal of a transplant is to kill as many of the cancer cells as possible with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation. Then you receive healthy, new stem cells, which allow healthy blood cells to grow.

• Bone marrow transplants. The goal of a bone marrow transplant is to kill as many of the cancer cells as possible with high doses of chemotherapy and radiation. These kill almost all your bone marrow and the cancerous cells in it. Then you receive healthy, new bone marrow. You can have your own bone marrow transplanted, called an autologous transplant. Or you can have a donor’s bone marrow, called an allogeneic transplant.

• Watchful waiting. The goal of watchful waiting is to monitor or check cancer that is growing very slowly and that is unlikely do any harm for a long time, if ever, rather than immediately starting treatment. Sometimes the treatments for multiple myeloma can cause more harm than living with it. Your doctor may recommend watchful waiting if you don’t have damage to your kidneys or bones and you have little or no anemia. You’ll likely see your doctor about every 3 months for checkups. At that time, you’ll have blood and urine tests and perhaps X-rays. These tests check to make sure the cancer is not starting to actively attack your body. If it is, you’ll start active treatment.

Research is ongoing in the field of multiple myeloma. New medicines and treatments are tested in clinical trials. Before starting treatment, ask your doctor if there are any clinical trials you should check on.