All You Need to Know About Multiple Myeloma and Their Treatment
What is Multiple Myeloma
Our bone marrow mainly contains the plasma cells, which are the kind of white blood cells that fights against infections simply by producing the antibodies.
Whenever these plasma cells turned as cancerous cells and start growing abnormally, known as multiple myeloma.
There is not any exact reason behind the causes of multiple myeloma. But mentioned risk factors can lead someone towards the Multiple Myeloma: Radiation Exposure, Obesity, Certain Chemicals, and Family History & Older than 65 years.
Symptoms of Multiple Myeloma
Multiple Myeloma can affect many organs. The signs and symptoms may vary accordingly and all the most common symptoms are enlisted as follows:
• Severe Thirst
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Constipation
• Weight Loss
• Numbness in arms or legs
• Weakness
• Kidney Failure
• Loss of Appetite
• Weight Loss
• Upset Stomach
• Pain in Bones
• Confusion
Multiple Myeloma Diagnosis:
On the basis of several diagnostic tests, your doctor may confirm multiple myeloma diagnosis. It is hard to declare the diagnosis of multiple myeloma by a single laboratory test.
In order to detect the Multiple Myeloma, doctors may consider blood & urine tests, an individual’s history, bone marrow biopsy, symptoms.
Apart from all these, some tests might include a CT Scan, MRI, X-rays and PTE Scan.
Someone with definitively multiple myeloma needs to meet at least three minor or one major as well as one minor.
Major criteria are enlisted as:
• The level of protein increased in blood or urine.
• The sample of bone marrow with the existence of 30% plasma cells.
• Plasmacytoma
Minor is mentioned as:
• 10-30% existence of plasma cells in the sample of bone marrow
• Low-level existence of antibodies in the blood.
• Osteolytic lesions
Diagnosis can be done through Histopathology, Blood Tests and Medical Imaging.
Due to the complications of multiple myeloma, complications may occur including:
• Kidney Damage: Myeloma can clog the kidney so the appropriate fiction of kidney may affect. Perhaps this might leads to kidney failure.
•Blood Problem: The count of red blood cells might decrease and can cause anemia. Due to less red blood cells, one may feel extreme tiredness and paleness as well.
• Infections: Body with myeloma start produces more weak antibodies that start replacing the pretty handy cells. So in this way, a decrease of white blood cells makes a weaker Immune system.
• Bone Problem: Bones may become weaker and thus the chances of fracture can increase.
Multiple Myeloma Treatment:
In myeloma treatment indicated on the basis of the symptoms. The initial stage of the treatment totally based upon the illness and the patient’s age. Those who are under the age of 65 may get a high dose of chemotherapy. A stem transplant is another treatment that can be used in Myeloma. Stem transplant treatment can be two types:
• Autologous Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation (ASCT).
• Allogeneic Stem-Cell Transplantation
Multiple Myeloma medications directly depend on an individual’s age and how hazardous cancer is. Multiple myeloma treatments drugs are mentioned as:
Chemotherapy: In this treatment, the medical team usually gives a blend of drugs (mixtures) to the patient. The ones that treat multiple myeloma are as follows:
• Etoposides
• Vincristine (Oncovin)
• Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan)
• Liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil)
• Bendamustine (Treanda)
• Doxorubicin (Adriamycin)
Targeted Therapies: With the help of targeted therapies doctors target genes, tissues and, proteins in order to prevent cancer from spreading.
Immunomodulatory drugs help in boosting the immune system so that the immune system can protect the body from cancerous cells.
- Lenalidomide (Revlimid)
- Thalidomide (Thalomid)
- Pomalidomide (Pomalyst)
Lenalidomide (Revlimid): lenalidomide 25 mg is one of the popular medicine amongst the doctors. This medicine is used to treat multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndrome.
It is supplied in Lenalid 5 mg, Lenalid 10 mg tablets & 15 mg as well as Lenalid 25 mg as 30 capsules per bottle.
The price of Lenalid 25 mg tablets is much economical in India.
With the help of the Monoclonal Antibodies, the immune system can detect and kill the Myeloma cells.
Monoclonal Antibodies are given as:
- Elotuzumab (Empliciti)
- Daratumumab (Darzalex)
Interferon: The use of interferon as a drug helps in resisting the growth of the Multiple Myeloma.
Stem Cell Transplant: On the basis of myeloma, your doctor may suggest for the stem cell transplant. In this process, doctors remove a few of your stem cells with the help of a machine. Then these stem cells use to freeze and store in clinical storage.
Then through chemotherapy takes place. That destroys the cancerous cells in the bone marrow.
In the next step, the doctor puts those conserved cells in the bloodstream through the catheter.
Radiation Therapy: In this process doctors usually bombard the beam on the affected body part. These specific beams kill the cancerous cells.
Multiple Myeloma Prognosis:
In 2003, with high dose therapy, the median survival has been estimated at around 4.5 years. And with the standard dose, the median survival has been estimated at around 3.5 years. Overall the 5-year survival rate approx 34%.
Younger people may have more survival rate in comparison to the older.
General Information: In order to get a quality of life needs to follow a few more things which are the following:
• Eat Healthy Diet.
• Invest time in Workout.
• Consume plenty of fluids.
Summary: Multiple Myeloma is the cancer of plasma cells, a kind of WBC (white blood cells) that produces antibodies abnormally. Multiple Myeloma has often known as Plasma cell myeloma.
