Myeloma conclave discusses advanced treatment methods

Till a few decades back, myeloma used to be rarely diagnosed in India, mainly due to a lack of awareness among the medical fraternity. A few orthopaedic specialists and nephrologists would have picked up myeloma in their patients, while there is an increase in the number of myeloma cases being presented to haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) units.

Dr Vincent Rajkumar, professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, talked to a group of medicos about myeloma and its treatments at the conclave. Medicos said that the plasma cells in the bone marrow help to fight against infections. When their natural way of functioning gets affected, there will be an unregulated production of plasma cells. A cancerous plasma cell is called a myeloma cell. Myeloma is also referred to as “Multiple myeloma” because in most cases there are multiple patches or areas in the bone where it grows.

Vincent said that once the plasma cell’s growth reaches a critical threshold, they will start occupying more space in the bone marrow and prevent the growth of normal cells, thereby resulting in low blood count and also they erode the bone and can cause seizures.

“Though myeloma treatment generally depends on the stage of the cancer, there have been major advancements in the last five years in the diagnosis and treatment of myeloma that include three to four cycles of new-age drugs, followed by bone marrow transplant and oral drugs make the treatment of this disease very effective, thereby increasing the life expectancy,” he said.