I clearly remember the early days of my own treatment (7 years ago) for a high-risk myeloma variant. There weren’t enough hours in the day to not just compile the list of questions but to also find the answers. Sure, there were some resources available but not to the same extent as we have now, especially with the Myeloma Crowd by HealthTree and HealthTree University (Stem Cell Transplant is in Course 8). Many of those questions dealt with stem cell transplants (SCT), and I would expect that many recently diagnosed patients will also have a similar wealth of questions.
The Journal Cancers recently dedicated a special issue solely to Stem Cell Transplants in Cancer Treatment with, probably, the best survey article, titled “Role of Stem Cell Transplantation in Multiple Myeloma”, that I have seen in my years of reading journals. Even though the article was published in a medical journal it is remarkably easy to read and chances are that you will learn much of immediate potential use but also to gain a good grasp of things that are on the horizon with respect to myeloma treatment. I will not even try to summarize this article, as there is so much to digest, but just whet your appetite by listing the key topics you will find answers to:
This article is highly recommended, not just for the recently diagnosed/’new’ patients but also for those of us who already went through the SCT process, as you are bound to learn something new, here and there, that may become of value to you sometime in the future.
Additionally, consider joining our new Stem Cell Transplant Chapter to hear important topics about stem cell transplant and chat with others who have gone through the experience. Join this new chapter today!
about the author
Paul Kleutghen
I am a patient diagnosed in 2014 with primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL), a rare and aggressive variant of multiple myeloma and have been very fortunate to find successful treatment at the division of Cellular Therapy at the Duke University Cancer Institute. My wife, Vicki, and I have two adult children and two grandsons who are the ‘lights of our lives’. Successful treatment has allowed Vicki and I to do what we love best : traveling the world, albeit it with some extra precautions to keep infections away. My career in the pharmaceutical industry has given me insights that I am currently putting to use as an advocate to lower drug pricing, especially prices for anti-cancer drugs. I am a firm believer that staying mentally active, physically fit, compliant to our treatment regimen and taking an active interest in our disease are keys to successful treatment outcomes.
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