Risk Factors, Complications, And Treatment Options For Multiple Myeloma

The Four Best Treatments For Multiple Myeloma

There is no cure for multiple myeloma, but there are treatment options available. Four of the best treatment options include chemotherapy, corticosteroids, stem cell transplants, and radiation. Chemotherapy is the injection of anti-cancer medication into the body to stop cell division and kill cancer cells. This treatment greatly affects the immune system, and some side effects include hair loss, pain, nausea, vomiting, and extreme weakness. Corticosteroids are usually taken before a stem cell transplant. Corticosteroids prevent white blood cells from crowding areas in the body that have been damaged by cancer cells. This makes transplants safer by limiting swelling and inflammation in these areas. A stem cell transplant is typically used in combination with other treatments. For example, a patient may first undergo chemotherapy and then take corticosteroids before receiving a stem cell transplant. If the cancer is localized, radiation therapy can be used to kill the cancer cells. Radiation treatment is usually given in low doses to minimize side effects.

Biological Therapy

Biological therapy is a method to treat many different diseases that utilize parts of living organisms, compounds that derive from living organisms, or human-made renditions of such compounds or substances engineered and produced in a laboratory. This type of therapy may directly or indirectly target an individual's multiple myeloma cancer cells to help with eradication. Some biological therapies work by hindering certain molecules that stimulate or help cancerous tumors progress and grow. Others are antibodies or drugs that stimulate the immune system to produce particular antibodies that can target specific cancer cells directly. Some biological therapies involve the use of donor blood components to help kill cancerous cells in multiple myeloma patients. Not only can biological therapies be used to help with targeting and killing cancer cells, but they can also be useful to help treat symptoms that occur as a result of cancer or side effects patients may experience as a result of other cancer treatments.