My doctor told me today that I have good partial remission with less than 10% of disease in my body and the normal amount to have is 5% or less, I did a asct in October 2012 with over 40% disease ,she said some time it take longer to go in to complete remission so she is just going to watch me for the next 3 months and see if my numbers change without any maintenance drug is that wise? I did not get a copy of my bmb report yet the printer was broken
she said to continue taking the drug I am taking when I got out of the hospital which is
Acyclovir 400 mg 3 times daily
Mepron 750 mg 2 times daily
Folic Acid 1 mg daily
Multivitamins 1 daily
Prilosec 20 mg whenever needed
Is that the rite advise
Any help would be appreciated
Forums
5 posts
• Page 1 of 1
Re: BMB
I have learned to trust my oncology and transplant doctors. I have been guided through this journey from , I am told stage 3 multiple myeloma and I believe 70% cancer cells in my blood plasma through the induction drug therapy of 25 mg Revlimid 40 mg Dexamethasome dropped the cells to 9% then I got a stem cell transplant I am told the "standard of care ". Although I never acheived remission my numbers dropped to 3% cancer cells in my plasma and an M spike of 1.6 four months after my transplant and on no maint drugs till then. I went on maint drugs of Revlimid 15 mg and only 6 mg of Dexamethasome since I do not tolerate the steriod well at all. my m spike now hovers at 1.0 each month with good kidney function and all other blood readings normal. I have not had a BMB since Aug of 2012 so they tell me that the BMB is the most accurate measure of the content of our marrow. Learning to trust your doctors is suggested they treat this disease daily they look at each patients results of testing and pilot your treatment. All I can say is I am a whole lot better off than I was the first year of multiple myeloma till I was diagnosed and finally treated.
-
genk - Name: Ed
- Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: August 2011
- Age at diagnosis: 61
Re: BMB
I had my sct 4/2012 after 3 months flc showed vgpr, then Revlimid , allergy, 2 months, first 10 mg then 5 this was aug, sept. got my flc lower, then off,each month better, no meds,jan/2103 bmb,
less than 5 percent, flc down to 3.37, will see onc again mid April, listen to your onc.
less than 5 percent, flc down to 3.37, will see onc again mid April, listen to your onc.
-
Maria
Re: BMB
Dear PJohn,
It would be worth discussing the risks and benefits of Revlimid maintenance therapy with your oncologist.
Pros: Further improvement in response to therapy, improved duration of remission after transplant, improved overall survival 3 years out from transplant..
Cons: Potential side effects: fatigue, constipation or diarrhea, low blood counts (e.g. low neutrophils, anemia, low platelets), rash, muscle cramps, etc. There is also a slightly increased risk of secondary cancers with Revlimid maintenance therapy. The risk of a second cancer after transplant was ~2.6% without Revlimid maintenance, it increased to 7.8% on Revlimid maintenance in the US study.
In spite of the increased risk of second cancers, there were more patients living with myeloma on Revlimid maintenance therapy than those who did not receive maintenance at the 3 year mark (in the US study, 88% of the patients that received Revlimid maintenance were alive at 3 years, 80% of those who did not receive maintenace were alive).
This is a complex decision. Patient preference, whether the myeloma is considered low or high risk, how someone has tolerated previous Revlimid therapy, and a firm understanding of the risks and benefits of Revlimid maintenance must be taken into account when making these decisions.
I am glad you have had a nice response to therapy. Keep up the good work!
Pete V.
It would be worth discussing the risks and benefits of Revlimid maintenance therapy with your oncologist.
Pros: Further improvement in response to therapy, improved duration of remission after transplant, improved overall survival 3 years out from transplant..
Cons: Potential side effects: fatigue, constipation or diarrhea, low blood counts (e.g. low neutrophils, anemia, low platelets), rash, muscle cramps, etc. There is also a slightly increased risk of secondary cancers with Revlimid maintenance therapy. The risk of a second cancer after transplant was ~2.6% without Revlimid maintenance, it increased to 7.8% on Revlimid maintenance in the US study.
In spite of the increased risk of second cancers, there were more patients living with myeloma on Revlimid maintenance therapy than those who did not receive maintenance at the 3 year mark (in the US study, 88% of the patients that received Revlimid maintenance were alive at 3 years, 80% of those who did not receive maintenace were alive).
This is a complex decision. Patient preference, whether the myeloma is considered low or high risk, how someone has tolerated previous Revlimid therapy, and a firm understanding of the risks and benefits of Revlimid maintenance must be taken into account when making these decisions.
I am glad you have had a nice response to therapy. Keep up the good work!
Pete V.
-
Dr. Peter Voorhees - Name: Peter Voorhees, M.D.
Beacon Medical Advisor
5 posts
• Page 1 of 1