Patients can survive multiple myeloma after a decade of treatment

Dr Tengku Ahmad Hidayat Tengku K. Aziz, Consultant Clinical Haematologist at Beacon Hospital, said multiple myeloma is reported in Malaysia at between 0.4 and 0.7 cases per 100,000 population; this blood cancer is not in the top 10 cancers in the country, unlike lymphoma and leukaemia.

Though typically affecting those over 65, he has treated patients as young as 26 to 40, reflecting the alarming rise of cancer in younger adults.

Multiple myeloma affects your plasma cells, which are white blood cells and part of your immune system. Multiple myeloma happens when healthy cells turn into abnormal cells that multiply and produce abnormal antibodies called M proteins; starting a cascade of medical issues and conditions.

Multiple myeloma causes major problems like bone or spine fractures that aren’t found with leukaemia or lymphoma.

But there is hope. With treatment, some patients achieve deep remission. “There are patients who survive myeloma after 10 years of treatment,” Dr Tengku said.

For full article, source : CodeBlue