Life Expectancy for Standard Risk Myeloma Patients
Multiple Myeloma
Life Expectancy for Standard Risk Myeloma Patients
Advances in treatment have been extending the lives of myeloma patients. The outlook for patients with what is called standard risk myeloma, in terms of life expectancy, is actually quite good. Standard-risk patients have an 80% ten-year survival rate, which means their chance of survival ten years after an initial diagnosis is 80%. Dr. Sagar Lonial, Chief Medical Officer at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University recounts the strides made in treating the disease, “Just a decade ago the average survival for a myeloma patient was 2.5 to 3 years, so that’s a significant improvement in a short time.”
Innovations in treatments now allow oncologists to use a variety of tools in addition to standard chemotherapy including targeted therapies, immune therapies, and stem cell transplants to tackle the disease before significant symptoms arise like bone damage and kidney failure. Dr. Ken Anderson, Director of the Multiple Myeloma Center at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, states, “There has just been a paradigm shift in the way we think about myeloma and the way we treat myeloma.”
Anderson describes the transition of multiple myeloma from a terminal illness to a chronic disease: “I’ve been able to see this disease go from treatment that lasted only two or three months to patients– many many patients–having a normal lifespan.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Advances in treatment have been extending the lives of myeloma patients. The outlook for patients with what is called standard risk myeloma, in terms of life expectancy, is actually quite good. Standard-risk patients have an 80% ten-year survival rate, which means their chance of survival ten years after an initial diagnosis is 80%. Dr. Sagar Lonial, Chief Medical Officer at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University recounts the strides made in treating the disease, “Just a decade ago the average survival for a myeloma patient was 2.5 to 3 years, so that’s a significant improvement in a short time.”
Innovations in treatments now allow oncologists to use a variety of tools in addition to standard chemotherapy including targeted therapies, immune therapies, and stem cell transplants to tackle the disease before significant symptoms arise like bone damage and kidney failure. Dr. Ken Anderson, Director of the Multiple Myeloma Center at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, states, “There has just been a paradigm shift in the way we think about myeloma and the way we treat myeloma.”
Anderson describes the transition of multiple myeloma from a terminal illness to a chronic disease: “I’ve been able to see this disease go from treatment that lasted only two or three months to patients– many many patients–having a normal lifespan.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Initial Treatment: Deciding How and When to Treat
Initial Treatment: Induction Therapy
Stem cell transplant, also known as bone marrow transplant, is often recommended as a second step in treating multiple myeloma. It’s a major undertaking and not always a straightforward decision.
Initial Treatment: Stem Cell Transplant
Stem cell transplant, also known as bone marrow transplant, is often recommended as a second step in treating multiple myeloma. It’s a major undertaking and not always a straightforward decision.