[Hannah]

Velcade

by Hannah on Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:30 pm

I have been living with multiple myeloma for 24 years without treatment. Started weekly infusions of Velcade and have come down with 2 infections one of being phnemonia. The Velcade is lowering my white blood cell count. Is there something available beside Velcade or a white cell booster? I would like to get off this roller coaster.
Hannah

[Dr. Peter Voorhees]

Re: Velcade

by Dr. Peter Voorhees on Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:01 am

Severely low white blood cell counts with just Velcade alone would be a bit unusual. From a white count perspective, it is typically one of the better tolerated drugs. Typically, the neutrophil count drops slightly and the lymphocyte count drops to a greater extent (which is why a lot of patients on Velcade are at risk of shingles). A white blood cell booster would only be indicated if the pneumonias are occurring in the context of a very low neutrophil count (<0.5 - 1.0). Another possible reason for recurrent pneumonias in a myeloma patient is suppression of normal antibody production (hypogammaglobulinemia). If this is the case, monthly infusions of IVIG can be helpful at preventing further infections.

Hope this helps. Thanks!

Pete V.