Digital Guide: Managing Multiple Myeloma Treatment Side Effects - Ann Arbor

Dr. Matthew Pianko explains some of the more common symptoms of multiple myeloma and how they are treated during therapy.

Hematologist Dr. Matthew Pianko explains the side effects of some commonly-used multiple myeloma treatments and how to manage them.

Lenalidomide (Revlimid) is an immune-modulating therapy that is a cornerstone of multiple myeloma treatment. “It is one of the most important drugs we have for the treatment of myeloma,” Dr. Pianko says. “But it can cause some side effects that are common in patients, such as cramping in the hands and feet or in the muscles.”

Another common myeloma drug, bortezomib (Velcade), may cause a different but potentially harder to treat side effect called peripheral neuropathy—damage to the nerves in the hands and feet that can cause pain and/or numbness.