Recently Diagnosed or Relapsed? Stop Looking For a Miracle Cure, and Use Evidence-Based Therapies To Enhance Your Treatment and Prolong Your Remission
Multiple Myeloma an incurable disease, but I have spent the last 25 years in remission using a blend of conventional oncology and evidence-based nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies from peer-reviewed studies that your oncologist probably hasn't told you about.
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Myeloma- Low dose therapy?
Consider treating MM with a low-dose approach to therapy. Consider taking the cure side of the cure vs control debate in MM treatment.
Hi David, Thanks for your dedication to keeping us informed and up-to-date on this complex disease. In a recent post (to Mitali) you said, ” Undergoing no MM therapy for even a relatively short period may risk MM developing resistance to chemo.”
I’ve heard of this, but don’t really understand it. Especially considering that Revlimid is usually prescribed in a 21-days on, 7-days off cycle. Can you please elaborate? Thanks, Mary Ann
What is Low-Dose Chemotherapy?
Hi Mary Ann- The issue of MM developing resistance to chemo is a difficult one. Conventional oncology discusses this issue frequently as it is the basis of MDR, aka multi-drug resistance, though conventional oncology seems to accept MDR.
Here is what I mean. All MM eventually develop resistance. This we know. Yet, as you point out, standard regimens are usually 3 weeks on, one week off. The immune system, the person, needs to recover during the week off.
The FDA-approved standard-of-care therapy plan for MM is aggressive. In general, oncology follows a “maximum tolerated dose” approach to MM regimens.
The alternative to taking time off therapy is continual or metronomic therapy. If you took piano lessons, you will know what a metronome is…
The issue with metronomic therapy is the dose. The toxicity must be low enough for the body to be able to manage continual low-dose therapy.
Perhaps oncology believes that MM will become resistant to chemo regardless of one week off.
The issue, in my opinion anyway, is two-fold. One, the therapy vacation causes resistance, and the dose, the toxicity causes side effects.
My personal belief is that MM patients should undergo metronomic therapy such as low-dose Revlimid. But even lower than what is prescribed. Meaning…say…5 mg but with curcumin as well.
Let me know if you have any questions. David
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
5 Risks of Stopping Multiple Myeloma Treatment
Stopping treatment for multiple myeloma may increase your symptoms and shorten your life. You may choose to stop treatment because of side effects or because treatment is no longer controlling the cancer.
Multiple myeloma causes your body to make too many abnormal plasma cells in your bone marrow. Healthy plasma cells fight infections. In multiple myeloma, these cells grow abnormally and reproduce too quickly.
The goal of multiple myeloma treatment is to kill off the abnormal cells so the healthy blood cells have more room to grow in your bone marrow. Multiple myeloma treatment can involveTrusted Source:
- radiation
- surgery
- chemotherapy
- targeted therapy
- stem cell transplant
The first treatment you’ll receive is called induction therapy. It’s meant to kill as many cancer cells as possible. Later, you’ll have maintenance therapy to stop the cancer from growing again.
All these treatments can have side effects. Chemotherapy can cause hair loss, nausea, and vomiting. Radiation can lead to red, blistered skin. Targeted therapy can lower the number of white blood cells in your body, increasing your risk of infections.
If you have side effects from your treatment or you don’t think it’s working, don’t just stop taking it. Stopping your treatment too early could pose real risks. Here are five risks of stopping multiple myeloma treatment.
Treating multiple myeloma usually requires multiple therapies. After the first phase of treatment, most people will start maintenance therapy, which can last for years.
Staying on a treatment long term has its downsides, such as side effects, repeated tests, and an ongoing medication routine. But the definite upside is that staying on treatment can help you live longer.
Even if you feel well, you may have a few stray cancer cells left in your body. Indeed, many people who appear to have no remaining signs of disease will experience a relapse and have a small amount of myeloma cells in their body. This is known as Trusted Source minimal residual disease (MRD).
However, researchers say it is difficult to define “minimal.”
Your doctor will test for MRD by ordering a flow cytometry test, which counts the number of abnormal cells present in your blood.
Regular counts of your multiple myeloma cells can give your doctor an idea of how long your remission might last and when a relapse might happen. Performing this test every 3 months or so will help your doctor catch any stray cancer cells and treat them before they can multiply.
There’s more than oneTrusted Source way to treat multiple myeloma and more than one doctor available to guide you through treatment. If you’re unhappy with your treatment team or the medication you’re taking, seek a second opinion or ask about trying another drug.
Even if your cancer comes back after your first treatment, it’s possible that another therapy will help shrink or slow your cancer. By stopping treatment, you’re passing up an opportunity to find the drug or approach that could finally put your cancer to rest.
When cancer grows, it pushes into other organs and tissues in your body. This invasion can cause symptoms throughout your body.
Multiple myeloma also damages bone marrow, the spongy area inside bones where blood cells are made. As cancer grows inside your bone marrow, it can weaken your bones to the point that they break. Fractures can be extremely painful.
Unmanaged multiple myeloma can also lead to symptoms such as:
- an increased risk of infections due to lowered white blood cell counts
- shortness of breath due to anemia
- serious bruising or bleeding due to low platelets
- extreme thirst, constipation, and frequent urination due to high levels of calcium in your blood
- weakness and numbness from nerve damage caused by collapsed bones in your spine
By slowing the cancer, you’ll reduce your risk of having symptoms. Even if your treatment is no longer hindering or stopping your cancer, it may help manage the side effects and keep you comfortable. Treatment aimed at symptom relief is called palliative care.
It’s understandable for you to become exhausted by your treatment or its side effects. But if you continue your treatment, your chances of surviving multiple myeloma are better than they’ve ever been before…”
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