Cancer Update from Mark Hoppus
- Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus is currently battling cancer and says in a vulnerable tweet that he’ll beat his disease through chemo or a bone marrow transplant.
- Bone marrow transplants are also called stem cell transplants; they can be used to treat some cancers, including blood cancers, like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
- Staying connected with others, and staying positive, while battling cancer can make the journey easier for some.
https://twitter.com/markhoppus/status/1414067258276540416
We know that bone marrow transplants can be used to treat blood cancers, so it’s possible this is the type of cancer Hoppus is fighting. However, the singer has yet to state what kind of cancer he’s been diagnosed with. There are three main types of blood cancers: Leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.
What is a Bone Marrow Transplant?
Hoppus writes about a potential bone marrow transplant, and we know that a bone marrow transplant which can also be called a “stem cell transplant” is a type of procedure that can be used to treat certain kinds of cancer. Stem cells mostly live in the bone marrow, the spongy core of the bones, and they create red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. These stem cells can mature into any type of blood cell, making them a viable treatment path for some cancers.
In an earlier interview, Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar explains the process for people with multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow) undergoing a stem cell transplant. He says, “If you’re newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma, we give about four rounds of standard dose chemotherapy to get rid of as much of the cancer cells as possible. By four months, in most patients, more than 90, 95% of patients, we’ve got the myeloma to a very low level in the bone marrow.”
“So then the transplant is given mainly to eradicate the remaining cells. We ask the patient to take what we call growth factor,” explains Dr. Rajkumar. “So we inject these growth factors under the skin for a few days to mobilize the stem cells that usually live in the bone marrow to come out into the peripheral blood. Once we collect enough stem cells, then we tell the patient they’re ready for the transplant.”
Dr. Rajkumar says that the process of giving the growth factor and then collecting stem cells can take anywhere from a week to 10 days.
What is a Stem Cell Transplant For Multiple Myeloma?
Focusing on the Good Through Cancer
Hoppus has stayed connected with fans during this time and shared a positive attitude throughout the time in which he’s publicly discussed his cancer. He’s even created a garden at home in his yard to help him, presumably, stay calm and connect with nature during his treatment path. Hopus shared beautiful images from the garden with fans.
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Focusing on the good and maintaining perspective while going through cancer treatment can help. Cedars-Sinai colorectal surgeon Dr. Zuri Murrell says in an earlier interview that patients with a positive outlook can have a better prognosis sometimes. He says, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK.”
“Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow,” says Dr. Murrell. “But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
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