[deansnow]

stem cell transplant single vs. tandem

by deansnow on Tue Jul 23, 2013 12:48 pm

My dad was diagnosed with plasmablastic myeloma in January. He just turned 70. Otherwise very healthy and active. He just finished 16 weeks of treatment in July (Velcade, etc.). He has responded well. Now they are recommending tandem stem cell transplants. His insurance will pay for the first transplant but not the second. We would like to know the prognosis for one transplant vs. two, especially considering the aggressive form of myeloma that he has.

[Multibilly]

Re: stem cell transplant single vs. tandem

by Multibilly on Tue Jul 23, 2013 2:31 pm

If you are familiar with my earlier posts, you will likely realize that I'm not much of a fan of transplants in general, but I respect those that chose this route.

Having said the above, you might find the two links below to be insightful regarding tandems.

Some insurance companies cover tandems...some don't. If you want to explore a tandem outside of insurance, you might look into participating in a tandem trial at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov The one Dr McCarthy is involved with below is http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01109004

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22668021
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE4PW-lHTLo

Best of luck to you and your pop.

[dnalex]

Re: stem cell transplant single vs. tandem

by dnalex on Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:29 pm

There is data that generally supports that two transplants are better than one
https://myelomabeacon.org/news/2010/11/23/long-term-follow-up-results-indicate-double-transplantation-is-superior-to-single-transplantation-for-multiple-myeloma/
in terms of time in remission and overall survival.

There is also data that a second transplant is an effective salvage treatment, if you choose to do go that route.
https://myelomabeacon.org/news/2012/11/28/second-transplant-as-salvage-therapy-for-relapsed-refractory-multiple-myeloma/