Four important questions to ask when planning to treat multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is the cancer of bone marrow. It causes the destruction of the bone cells which leads to fractures, pain, and spinal compression. Many people suffering from this type of cancer are not able to diagnose the symptoms by themselves. This can lead to further complications which can make the disease terminal in many cases. Therefore, it is necessary to know different types of multiple myeloma treatments based on its stages.

It is equally important to consult an oncologist for the various types of treatments and choose the one that best suits the patient’s symptoms and condition. Read the following queries and their answers, as they will help you know more about the symptoms, stages, and the various forms of multiple myeloma treatments.

How can multiple myeloma be treated in the initial stages?

There are in all three stages of multiple myeloma. The initial stages of multiple myeloma treatments have the following options:

• Chemotherapy : This form of treatment uses medicines to treat cancer cells and inhibit its growth. As multiple myeloma are a type of cancer cells, it affects the growth of normal cells. Thus, when a patient is injected with medicines, it affects and kills both cancerous as well as the normal cells. Side effects of chemotherapy include a lowered immune system, nausea, hair loss, and more.
• Antibodies : A type of immunotherapy, these are types of medicines that help in enhancing the immune system’s cancer-fighting ability. Multiple myeloma treatment of this type has fewer side effects as compared to chemotherapy.
• HDAC inhibitors : This type of multiple myeloma treatment is used in any stage of multiple myeloma. This inhibitor targets and kills malignant cells by spotting the histone deacetylases (HDAC) protein.

What are the symptoms of multiple myeloma?

Following are the symptoms of multiple myeloma:

• A person suffering from multiple myeloma might experience pain in bones, including spine, hips, and skull.
• Multiple myelomas also result in weakening of bones called osteoporosis and plasmacytoma.
• The person might also experience low blood count because the growth of malignant cells crowds out the normal blood cells
• High levels of calcium might result in extreme thirst, frequent urination, dehydration, constipation, loss of appetite, weakness, drowsiness, and even kidney problems.

How would you know if multiple myeloma has entered the metastatic stage?

• When cancer becomes metastatic, it means that the malignant cells from a localized spot have moved to the lymph nodes.
• Once these malignant cells reach the lymph nodes, they multiply at a faster rate and spread to the different parts of the body.
• The metastatic stage is an advanced stage of any form of cancer. In case of multiple myeloma, it is Stage III cancer that has a serum beta-2 microglobulin level of greater than 5.5. If the person is experiencing similar symptoms at this stage, then it is referred to as relapsed multiple myeloma. Some of the common symptoms at this stage are an advanced weakness, frequent infections, weight loss, muscle weakness, and nausea among many others.

How can the metastatic stage of multiple myeloma be treated?

Following are some treatment options for metastatic multiple myeloma:

• Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) : This treatment uses a particular set of medicines that regulate certain aspects of the immune system. This treatment is also called as pomalyst myeloma treatment. They activate the immunity-providing cells and inhibit the growth of certain malignant cells by sending them signals chemically to stop or localize their growth.
• Proteasome inhibitors : These are inhibitors that treat multiple myeloma in its different stages. Proteasomes are protein complexes that help in disposing of old proteins and replacing the newer version. The inhibiting medicine prevents cancer from producing a newer form of protein.
• Steroids : This form of medicine decreases inflammation by stopping white blood cells from flowing into the disease-affected areas. This eventually helps in relieving pain and pressure due to other symptoms and side effects of the treatment.