My mother was recently hospitalized following a bout of confusion and edema. The doctors were able to determine that her liver and lymph nodes were enlarged. Through blood work they were able to see her ammonia level was also high, leading them to the conclusion that her liver was failing, or at least not functioning properly.
Now they are attempting to treat the myeloma with Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide). She has not had a stem cell transplant as we were never able to get her numbers down low enough for that to be an option after a first quick relapse.
My question is how common is it for myeloma to affect the liver and is there any hope in being able to reestablish some form of disease control?
I apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes. As you can imagine it has been a difficult few days.
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ablackiii - Who do you know with myeloma?: Mom
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 53
Re: Liver failure in multiple myeloma
I am very sorry to hear about what has happened with your mother.
What treatment regimens has she had so far? Have any of the treatments included Kyprolis (carfilzomib)?
Kyprolis is known to have a risk of liver-related side effects, particularly when it is given for the first cycle or two, before a patient "gets used to it".
Also, is your mother being seen at a hospital or cancer center where there is a myeloma specialist on staff? That would be very important at this point, given what she has been experiencing.
What treatment regimens has she had so far? Have any of the treatments included Kyprolis (carfilzomib)?
Kyprolis is known to have a risk of liver-related side effects, particularly when it is given for the first cycle or two, before a patient "gets used to it".
Also, is your mother being seen at a hospital or cancer center where there is a myeloma specialist on staff? That would be very important at this point, given what she has been experiencing.
Re: Liver failure in multiple myeloma
She started with Velcade, dex, and Revlimid and this got her to what I believe the doctor would classify as a close to very good partial response. The myeloma expert we saw in Philadelphia wanted to attempt to get the numbers a bit lower before the stem cell transplant to get the depth of the response.
Unfortunately, her numbers began to rise in the next few weeks, forcing us to change to a regimen of Kyprolis, dex, Revlimid. Side effects began to hit hard with this new regimen, forcing us to change to Kyprolis, dex, and Pomalyst. This made her stable for a time, but again the goal was to get a remission. For someone so young, the expectation was a want for stem cell transplant.
So we changed yet again to Darzalex. After several rounds of that, she ended up in the hospital. I don't know enough about the way her myeloma reacted to the Darzalex, but it was my understanding that it was difficult to track her numbers as she was only being tracked with light chains and something had messed with that.
Unfortunately, her numbers began to rise in the next few weeks, forcing us to change to a regimen of Kyprolis, dex, Revlimid. Side effects began to hit hard with this new regimen, forcing us to change to Kyprolis, dex, and Pomalyst. This made her stable for a time, but again the goal was to get a remission. For someone so young, the expectation was a want for stem cell transplant.
So we changed yet again to Darzalex. After several rounds of that, she ended up in the hospital. I don't know enough about the way her myeloma reacted to the Darzalex, but it was my understanding that it was difficult to track her numbers as she was only being tracked with light chains and something had messed with that.
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ablackiii - Who do you know with myeloma?: Mom
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2015
- Age at diagnosis: 53
Re: Liver failure in multiple myeloma
Hello,
I'm sorry for you and your mother. My mother was very sick with lung cancer and it was a full time job taking care of her. She is very lucky to have you looking out for her on this forum.
My only contribution is to inform you that amyloidosis is a common secondary disease to myeloma. It is also a plasma cell disease that deposits proteins in major organs and one of the most common organs is the liver. To confirm a diagnosis, her liver would require biopsy.
Good Luck to you both.
Best
J
I'm sorry for you and your mother. My mother was very sick with lung cancer and it was a full time job taking care of her. She is very lucky to have you looking out for her on this forum.
My only contribution is to inform you that amyloidosis is a common secondary disease to myeloma. It is also a plasma cell disease that deposits proteins in major organs and one of the most common organs is the liver. To confirm a diagnosis, her liver would require biopsy.
Good Luck to you both.
Best
J
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jhorner - Name: Magpie
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 49
Re: Liver failure in multiple myeloma
ablackiii,
Jhorner brings up an important possibility regarding amyloidosis. Amyloidosis can impact both one's liver and lymph nodes. A liver biopsy only takes a few minutes to perform.
Jhorner brings up an important possibility regarding amyloidosis. Amyloidosis can impact both one's liver and lymph nodes. A liver biopsy only takes a few minutes to perform.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
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