Multiple myeloma (MM), for patients and their loved ones, can be a challenging illness to live with. To see loved ones in pain and suffering brings emotional challenges and oftentimes leaves them with many questions. Treatment options and what to do if the cancer returns are often two of those questions.
There is currently no cure for multiple myeloma. This means that it is likely for multiple myeloma to return after treatment or a period of remission. When a patient experiences a relapse, the condition is then referred to as relapsed, or recurrent, multiple myeloma (RMM).
Immediate treatment is mandatory in the case of a relapse, according to the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNMCCC).
The UNMCCC informs readers about the different treatment options that are offered. Some of those treatments include targeted therapy, chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, among others.
Targeted Therapy: Targeted therapies are treatment methods that involve drugs and/or other substances that work to block the growth and the spread of cancer by interfering with certain molecules that are essential to the survival of the cancer cell.
Chemotherapy: When using chemotherapy as a treatment option, high doses are more effective at killing cancer cells. However, there is a down side to the usage of high dose chemotherapy. It also destroys many other healthy cells in the body. One of the most critical cells that are destroyed are the cells in the bone marrow stem cells.