If you are above 45 years of age, anemic and having recurring bone pain, then there are high chances that you are afflicted with Multiple Myeloma (MM), a type of blood cancer that affects bone.
However, despite a high fatality rate, there is reason for a MM patients to be optimistic because of the latest advances in medical science in the sector. And, if diagnosed at an early stage, the patient's survival chance is better, say health experts.
“There's no cure to multiple myeloma, but with early diagnosis and proper treatment, the progress of the disease can be slowed down, and sometimes the symptoms might disappear,” Dr Rahul Bhargava, Director, Institute of Blood Disorders, Fortis Memorial Research Hospital in Gurugram asserts as he enlists a range of advanced treatments that are available now.
These include targeted combinations of drugs along with bone marrow transplant that can effectively increase the survival chance of a patient by a good number of years.
MM is a severe condition of the blood in which the white blood cells of the patient are affected. Though there are no exact causes of MM but certain risk factors like increased age, sex, family history significantly raise the risk of developing this condition in which the white blood cells also called the plasma cells of the patient are affected. The white blood cells perform the crucial function of producing the antibodies to fight with the infections and protect the person.
However, when a person suffers from MM, the white blood cells begin to release too much protein into the bones and blood that ends up in causing organ damage. Moreover, they may result in the crowding out of the normal blood cells in the bones of the person. The signs and symptoms of deadly blood cancer can vary from person to person and, early in the disease, there may be none. When signs and symptoms do occur, they may include unexplained renal failure, back pain with broken bones, long-term anemia, fatigue and infections in the urine.
These common symptoms may also occur due to other conditions and therefore, it is important for people with these symptoms to see a doctor immediately. If ignored, MM can also damage the bones and kidneys and weaken the immune system, as per the US Food and Drug Administration.
Dr Bhargava further says “ Medications are no longer expensive and do not cause hair loss, diarrhoea and nausea. Myeloma treatment medications are now slowly moving from Intravenous to subcutaneous, like a jab for an insulin injection and along with oral medications which are making the life very easy for patients to live with myeloma”
Some of the treatment methods for MM include targeted therapy where a drug is used to target the specific kind of abnormal cells in the patient and kill them directly without harming the healthy cells. This drug is given to the patient either through the vein in his arm or in the form of the pill.
Chemotherapy, biological therapy - Radiation Therapy, Bone marrow transplant, commonly known as the stem cell transplant treatment are the other methods of treatment.
In a boost to cure MM, pharma giant Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in May announced that it would acquire exclusive license to commercialize and develop Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma's autologous, anti-BCMA Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, PRG1801, for cancer patients including those suffering with MM in India.
The therapy has emerged as a breakthrough in cancer treatment. Clinical trials conducted globally have shown promising results in advanced-stage patients, especially in patients suffering from Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia. Though this technology has a remarkable therapeutic potential for cancer patients, at present it is not available in India. CAR-T cell therapy costs around Rs 3-4 crore, according to a report.
While incidence of myeloma is lower in Asia (1.1 per 100,000) and in India (1.0 per 100,000) compared to the West (4.1/100,000), there is evidence that incidence of MM is gradually rising in metropolitan cities in India, notes a team of oncologists led by Dr Lalit Kumar, Professor, Medical Oncology AIIMS, Delhi in a review article published in last December edition of the Journal of Current Oncology. One of the reasons can be the growing aging population.
Survival of patients with MM has increased significantly in the past two decades. This can be attributed to a better understanding of biology, the introduction of novel agents (immunomodulators, proteasome inhibitors), autologous stem cell transplantation, and maintenance therapy. Supportive care is also an important component of overall care for these patients, adds Dr Sukesh Nair, an oncologist.
To stay active, the doctors recommend the patients that along with the treatment, they should work on maintaining a healthy diet in consultation with a dietician, do regular exercises, take enough rest, and keep themselves occupied with things that they enjoy.