New Hope in Multiple Myeloma
- A new four drug treatment for newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma patients is being called “unprecedented” in its effectiveness
- Results of a new trial find that combining drugs daratumumab (Darzalex), bortezomib (Velcade), lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) increased progression-free survival and overall survival in the patients.
- Daratumumab was initially used in later-stage multiple myeloma treatment, but has shown promise as a first-line treatment for those newly diagnosed.
- Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. This causes plasma cells to grow out of proportion to other cells and cause a variety of symptoms.
“These results are very encouraging to give us another set of tools to get better, longer time for patients to live their lives and have a good quality of life to do the things they may not have thought they could do when they were first diagnosed with multiple myeloma,” Dr. Nina Shah, a hematologist who specializes in the treatment of multiple myeloma at UCSF Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet. “In multiple myeloma, we are always trying to get the deepest response that we can get. And we know if we can get that upfront, we'll probably have a longer time that the patient is in the first remission.”
Read More“I'm impressed with the data, and I'm not surprised because they are using four very known effective drugs to treat myeloma,” Dr. Shah says. “This is very encouraging. I do think to understand the true benefit of this we need randomized control trials. We not only have to understand what the benefit is, but the toxicity and also the cost.”
Dr. Paul Richardson explains how daratumumab is working in multiple myeloma first-line treatment
What is Multiple Myeloma?
Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Multiple myeloma causes plasma cells to grow out of proportion to other cells, which can lead to a handful of symptoms. These can include weakness, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, bones easily fractured and urinary issues. Seeing as many of these systems could point to other types of illnesses, it’s key to talk to your physician about these symptoms in order to rule out multiple myeloma as an option. Also, getting a second opinion can be a valuable resource when it comes to this particular cancer, especially since it can be misdiagnosed at times.
Fortunately, for those diagnosed with multiple myeloma, there has been a huge revolution in treating this complex and rare cancer. Newer drugs, including combination therapies, more-refined stem cell transplants, and the recent emergence of immunotherapies, have led to a significant change in viewing and ultimately treating multiple myeloma.
Related: Making Treatment ChoicesSurvivorNet's Carefully Constructed Resources
With current advancements, average length of life with multiple myeloma has become four times what it was just two decades ago. There has been so much innovation already that individuals who would only live for a few years after treatment are now living for a decade or more, and things will likely only get better from here.
Dr. Nina Shah breaks down the basics of multiple myeloma
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