Early detection and intervention are key to managing ICANS and minimizing its impact on quality of life.

Scoring tools help identify ICANS and their severity, which can include exercises your doctor or nurse may ask you to do, like following a simple direction, writing a sentence, naming an object, or asking you to count backward from 100 by tens. 

For severe ICANS, understanding the situation in detail could include the involvement of a neurologist, a lumbar puncture, or imaging tests like a brain MRI with contrast, a spinal MRI, or an EEG (electroencephalography) that can measure brain activity. 

To manage ICANS, myeloma specialists suggest: 

• Twice daily assessments
• Use of dexamethasone
• Use of tocilizumab if the patient also has CRS, but if they don't, this is not used
• Anti-seizure medications, but avoidance of medications that cause central nervous system depression
• Supportive care