Supportive care is used to improve myeloma patients' comfort and quality of life.

Myeloma patients often are affected by:

• Thinning bones
• Pain
• Infection
• Renal failure
• Anemia
• Hypercalcemia (too much calcium)
• Amyloidosis

Supportive treatments for myeloma patients commonly include:

Bisphosphonates (i.e. Aredia® ^[1] and Zometa® ^[2])

• reduce the advancement of bone disease
• decrease bone pain
• reduce fractures

Orthopedic interventions

• control pain
• improve functioning and mobility

Pain control (i.e. medication, radiation, radiopharmaceuticals - Quadramet® ^[3])

Antibiotics

• prevent and treatinfection

Growth factors

• help the bone marrow produce more red and white blood cells