• Question: How does a blood myeloma progress and how does the medication taken to treat it help keep it dormant or eliminate it from the body?

    Asked by anon-181543 to Damian, Alex on 6 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Alex Haragan

      Alex Haragan answered on 6 Jun 2018:


      Myeloma is a cancer of a certain kind of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Plasma cells normally produce specific antibodies (for example, to fight infection) and as a result, myeloma has the unusual property of causing damage to the body predominantly via the substances it produces (like chemical signals called cytokines).
      Most cancers cause damage by growing and invading into normal parts of the body – but in myeloma it is mostly the things these cells make that cause problems. The substances can move around the body, causing damage to normal organs; things like kidney failure.
      Because plasma cells are made in the bone marrow – a lot of the problems are from the bones – so bone pain and weakness can happen, other immune cells are affected so you are more prone to infection, you might become anaemic. There are lots more odd things as well!
      As such it makes it a very difficult cancer to treat – and presently it is rarely cured.
      Various medications aim to do different things. Some try to kill the myeloma plasma cells directly, some try to control the spread of the cytokines and other deposits, and others try to help the body when damage is done. One major treatment is the use of stem-cells to try and replace lost ones and help the body to recover.
      There are many new medications being made and looked at in clinical trials (where we test new drugs to see if they work and are safe) – and each person is different, so no 2 people are likely to get the exact same treatment.
      It is a difficult cancer to treat – but we are starting to see improvements in this area!

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