Treatment Options for Multiple Myeloma and Other Plasma Cell Neoplasms
Multiple Myeloma
Isolated Plasmacytoma of Bone
Extramedullary Plasmacytoma
Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma)
Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance
Refractory Plasma Cell Neoplasms
A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.
Multiple Myeloma
Patients without symptoms may not need treatment. When symptoms appear, the treatment of multiple myeloma may be done in phases:
- Induction therapy: This is the first phase of treatment. Its purpose is to reduce the amount of disease, and may include one or more of the following:
- Consolidation chemotherapy: This is a type of high-dose chemotherapy often given as the second phase of treatment, and may include either:
- Maintenance therapy: After the initial treatment, maintenance therapy is often given to help keep the disease in remission for a longer time. Several types of treatment are being studied for this use, including:
Supportive care to treat bone problems and amyloidosis may include:
- Bisphosphonate therapy to slow bone loss and reduce bone pain.
- Radiation therapy for tumors of the spine.
-
Chemotherapy to reduce back pain from osteoporosis or compression fractures of the spine.
- Chemotherapy and corticosteroid therapy to treat amyloidosis.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with multiple myeloma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Isolated Plasmacytoma of Bone
Standard treatment of isolated plasmacytoma of bone is usually radiation therapy.
Supportive care to treat amyloidosis may include chemotherapy and corticosteroid therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with isolated plasmacytoma of bone. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Extramedullary Plasmacytoma
Standard treatment of extramedullary plasmacytoma may include the following:
Supportive care to treat amyloidosis may include chemotherapy and corticosteroid therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with extramedullary plasmacytoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma)
Treatment of Waldenström macroglobulinemia may include the following:
Supportive care to treat amyloidosis may include chemotherapy and corticosteroid therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance
Treatment of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is usually watchful waiting, which will include regular blood tests to check the level of M protein in the blood.
Supportive care to treat amyloidosis may include chemotherapy and corticosteroid therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Refractory Plasma Cell Neoplasms
Treatment of refractory plasma cell neoplasms may include the following:
Supportive care to treat amyloidosis may include chemotherapy and corticosteroid therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with refractory multiple myeloma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
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