MULTIPLE MYELOMA

Nurse (N): Good morning. I guess that you know you have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma following solitary plasmacytoma.

Patient (P): Yes, but frankly I’m all mixed up and don’t know exactly what all this means. Maybe some basics for me would be a good start. So, what exactly is this multiple myeloma?

(N): This is a plasma-cell cancer, those cells that are found in the bone marrow and are important for the immune system, and whose role is to fight infection and disease.

(P): I have no family history for this. So, what might be the causes?

(N): In your case, this is mostly related to age. Most people diagnosed with this cancer are at least 65, are mostly men, and probably as a consequence of solitary plasmacytoma.

(P): But then, could this have been prevented anyway?

(N): Well, for certain types of cancer, smoking is most likely to incriminate. However, unfortunately, there is no known way to prevent multiple myeloma.

(P): But then again, could it have been detected early?

(N): It is difficult to diagnose this kind of cancer. Sometimes, it is found early when a routine blood test shows abnormally high amount of protein in the blood. But usually, this means that the symptoms have reached an advanced stage.

(P): Does this mean that there’s no treatment in my case?

(N): No, and the fact that you don’t have serious health issues and that your overall health condition is ok, make the prognosis more favorable.

(P): I don’t really understand!

(N): Technically, on average, and though prediction is very hard in such cases as it depends on how far the cancer has spread, survival rate would be as for people of your age who don’t have that cancer. But I insist, this is in case were no further complications would appear.

(P): What about therapy then?

(N): I’ll leave this to your doctor to tell you about. But generally, you’ll get chemotherapy, which can be given by mouth or directly into the bloodstream to reach cancer cells anywhere in your body.

(P): Are there any serious side effects to this kind of therapy?

(N): Adverse effects generally concern hair loss, appetite loss, nausea and vomiting, mouth sores and low blood counts.

(P): And how can I get along with all this?

(N): Most side effects are temporary and go away after the treatment is finished. Meanwhile, you’ll be given supportive therapy to prevent infections and cope with nausea and vomiting. And we’ll keep regular follow-up for you to see if the cancer has come back, if more treatment is needed, or if daily life can be resumed as normally as possible. In all cases, keeping a healthy diet, getting nutritional supplements, maintaining a healthy weight, and doing regular physical exercise are highly recommended at the same time. Ok!

(P): Yes, fine by me!