Table of Contents
What is the best medicine for multiple myeloma?
The drugs used most often for treating bone problems in people with myeloma are the bisphosphonates pamidronate (Aredia) and zoledronic acid (Zometa) and the drug denosumab (Xgeva, Prolia). These drugs are given intravenously (IV or into a vein) or subcutaneously (under the skin).
How successful is treatment for multiple myeloma?
The goals of treatment are to eliminate myeloma cells, control tumor growth, control pain, and allow patients to have an active life. While there is no cure for multiple myeloma, the cancer can be managed successfully in many patients for years.
What is the lifespan of someone with multiple myeloma?
The SEER(Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) data for multiple myeloma has been published in 2013 by the National Cancer Institute, and the average life expectancy remains at 4 years for the third year in a row. However, some people beat the odds and live 10 to 20 years or more.
What is the best treatment for multiple myeloma?
Treatment for multiple myeloma includes drugs that modulate the immune system, chemotherapy drugs, radiation therapy, stem cell transplants and, in some patients, surgery.
Is there a complete cure for multiple myeloma?
Multiple myeloma can’t be cured. The goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms, slow the progression, or advancement, of the disease and put the disease into remission. Remission for multiple myeloma is when most or all signs and symptoms of the disease disappear. You may be offered the following treatments for multiple myeloma.
What to do if your multiple myeloma treatment stops working?
Other treatments for multiple myeloma. Just because one treatment didn’t work for multiple myeloma doesn’t mean that others will fail.
How deadly is multiple myeloma?
Multiple Myeloma is, for most people who have it, still a fatal disease. But it can take a long time to get you and you can be in remission or stable disease for many years and live a relatively normal life during those years. Multiple Myeloma varies greatly from one patient to another.