[mikeb]

Re: Failed autologous stem cell transplant

by mikeb on Mon Nov 28, 2016 9:54 pm

Hello HainesStrong,
It sounds like your husband has done very well up to this point. You're definitely right that living with myeloma requires an adjustment period. Actually, in a lot of ways, it's a continuing process of adjustment and re-adjustment.

You mentioned that your husband has "duplication of chromosome q21," and is considered high risk because of that (if I'm understanding your post correctly). I'm wondering if there might be something else in your husband's genetic profile that qualifies as high risk. Another way of saying duplication of a chromosome is to call it a trisomy (three copies, instead of the usual two). And other than a trisomy of chromosome 1q, trisomies of odd numbered chromosomes are normally considered to be standard risk. For example, see slide 4 in the Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Myeloma section of the MSMART Guidelines (https://www.msmart.org/about.html).

The reason I am questioning this is because you said your husband's medical team is considering tandem auto-allo transplants. It would be helpful for you and your husband to understand exactly what high-risk cytogenetics he has and ask his medical team to explain what options they are considering, and why they would recommend one option versus others.

Finally, one other recommendation - Mark11 is the Beacon's "resident expert" on allo transplants. It would be good to read up on what he (and others) have to say about them here in the Beacon Forum, if you haven't done so already. This link will take you to a list of allo-related threads (https://myelomabeacon.org/forum/search.php?keywords=allo+allogeneic+donor&terms=any&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sr=topics&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search).

Best wishes to you and your husband. Please keep us posted on your husband's progress.
Mike