[letsbeatthis]

Does ASCT mess up the body that treatments are tougher?

by letsbeatthis on Fri Jan 13, 2012 10:19 am

Hi all,

My husband is waiting for his ASCT this month.
I'm just wondering if ASCT affects how a patient responds to treatment if a relapse occurs?

any insight is helpful.

thanks to all.. keep praying, keep hoping and keep sharing!!!

[Anonymous]

Re: Does ASCT mess up the body that treatments are tougher?

by Anonymous on Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:39 pm

Hi letsbeatthis,

I'm paraphrasing your question to make sure I understand it: If a patient has an ASCT and then relapses, is the patient likely to respond better or worse to treatment at relapse than someone who never had an ASCT? Or will the ASCT have no effect on treatment following a relapse?

Interesting question. Looking forward to people's thoughts.

[RLS]

Re: Does ASCT mess up the body that treatments are tougher?

by RLS on Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:08 pm

L.B.T. - I do not understand the question. Could you explain what the acronym A.S.C.T. stands for? This is new to me. RLS

[Kansas]

Re: Does ASCT mess up the body that treatments are tougher?

by Kansas on Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:25 pm

Autologous Stem Cell Transplant

[Joyjoyful]

Re: Does ASCT mess up the body that treatments are tougher?

by Joyjoyful on Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:47 pm

I had my SCT in sept 2007 which was 5 yrs after dx and some other treatments. I relapsed in 11/09 and started treatment again in 8/2010 which was Velcade,dex, and cytoxan. i responded to the the drugs which put me into a CR where i currently am today.
joyce

[patroof]

Re: Does ASCT mess up the body that treatments are tougher?

by patroof on Sun Jan 22, 2012 4:47 pm

My husband had his ASCT in 2006 and relapsed in 2009. Started Revelimid / Dex. In September 2010 three months later we added Revlimid and has been in CR ever since. With of course some side effects, but so far nothing unbearable.

[patroof]

Re: Does ASCT mess up the body that treatments are tougher?

by patroof on Sun Jan 22, 2012 4:57 pm

Three months later we added Velcade ( sorry )

[Dr. Edward Libby]

Re: Does ASCT mess up the body that treatments are tougher?

by Dr. Edward Libby on Sun Jan 22, 2012 7:20 pm

Hello from rainy Seattle,

Like most cancers, as myeloma is treated and then eventually and inevitably relapses the disease becomes less sensitive and responsive to further chemotherapy. The more relapses....the harder the disease is to treat. However , it is very important to keep in mind that we have more and more drugs to treat this disease. Patients in relapse can and do have excellent and long lived responses.

This is why research is so very important. Without the clinical research performed over the past 15 years (thanks to the support of patients and their doctors) we wouldnt have spectacular drugs like Revlimid and Velcade. In addition the wonderful drugs on the horizon like elotuzumab, pomalidomide, carfilzomib and many others would never be studied and would never be made available.

Best of luck in all things for you and your husband!

[letsbeatthis]

Re: Does ASCT mess up the body that treatments are tougher?

by letsbeatthis on Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:57 pm

Thank you all for sharing your experiences.

Dr. Libby, thank you for your hardwork in helping multiple myeloma patients and caregivers understand this disease better!!! Keep it up.

And to all, we are moving full speed ahead with our ASCT tomorrow, Jan 24th and definitely crossing our fingers we will have long term positive results.

thanks again