There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to multiple myeloma. Will I experience bone pain? Is the survival rate of multiple myeloma very low? Are African-Americans more at risk of developing the disease? In this series, we asked multiple myeloma specialist Dr. Sarah Holstein of the University of Nebraska Medical Center to clear a few things up:
Bone pain is a symptom of multiple myeloma — True.
Read More Bone pain is indeed a symptom of multiple myeloma. Dr. Holstein explains, “More than 90% of patients will at some time during the course of their disease suffer from bone involvement from their myeloma.” The reason for this bone loss or damage is multiple myeloma disrupts the bone remodeling process. The cancerous myeloma cells keep the bone cells responsible for removing old bone and rebuilding new bone from working properly. Eventually, this may lead to fractures.
The survival rate for multiple myeloma is very low —
False. 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%. This is a great improvement from previous years. “The survival for myeloma patients has been continuing to improve over the last decade or so,” according to Dr. Holstein. However, that does not mean that the disease can be cured. “In some ways, this answer is still true, because I am unable to tell my patients that I will be able to cure them. So for all patients, no matter young or old, multiple myeloma will have an impact on your overall survival,” says Holstein.
Multiple myeloma occurs more commonly in African Americans than any other demographic — True.
According to Holstein, the number of African Americans that develop multiple myeloma every year is two times higher than Caucasians, but we still don’t know the cause of this higher rate. “We still don’t fully understand why this is,” says Holstein.
Click here and here for more multiple myeloma myth busting.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Dr. Sarah Holstein is a physician-scientist who specializes in the treatment of multiple myeloma and related diseases. Prior to joining the faculty at University of Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Holstein served as a myeloma specialist at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the University of Iowa. Her own laboratory is focused on gaining a better understanding of multiple myeloma and the development of novel therapeutic agents for the disease. Her laboratory research has received funding from such sources as the National Institutes of Health and the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Holstein is also involved in clinical trials for patients with newly diagnosed myeloma, those in the post-transplant maintenance setting, as well as those with relapsed/refractory disease. Read More
