Discover your options for beating multiple myeloma! From advanced therapies to personalized treatments, find the right path to healing.
Drugs for Multiple Myeloma
When it comes to treating multiple myeloma, different types of drugs play a key role. These drugs are carefully chosen by the multiple myeloma doctors in India to make sure they work well for each patient.
Chemotherapy: This treatment uses medications such as cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, melphalan, and etoposide to slow the growth of cancer cells. The number of sessions required varies on the severity of the condition.
Steroids: Medicines like Dexamethasone and Prednisone are often given with chemotherapy to make it work better and reduce things like vomiting and nausea.
Histone deacetylase (HAC) Inhibitor: Panobinostat, a targeted therapy medication, helps activate genes that prevent cancer cells from developing.
Immunomodulators: Drugs such as Lenalidomide, Pomalidomide, and Thalidomide help the immune system fight and kill cancer cells.
Proteasome Inhibitors: Bortezomib, carfilzomib, and ixazomib are medications that block cancer cells from digesting proteins that control their growth. They are crucial for treating newly diagnosed or recurring cases of multiple myeloma.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a revolutionary method that supercharges the patient’s immune system in the battle against cancer. This method uses a variety of techniques, either manually or in laboratories, to improve the immune system’s functionality.
CAR-T cell treatment is an advanced form of immunotherapy in which T-cells are extracted from the patient’s blood. These T-cells are then carefully designed in a laboratory, where they are trained to recognize and destroy myeloma cells in the body.
These cells are returned to the patient’s body after being changed, acting as a personalized army to target and destroy cancer cells. This is the best treatment for multiple myeloma in India.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high doses of radiation to target and reduce tumors or to relieve myeloma-related localized discomfort. External beam radiation targets specific parts of the body, whereas focused radiation therapy targets cancer cells while causing minimal damage to nearby healthy tissue.
Stem Cell Transplant
This form of therapy becomes necessary when myeloma damages the stem cells in the bone marrow, which are responsible for producing new, healthy blood cells. The patient’s own healthy stem cells are collected and cultivated outside the body prior to the transplant.
To prepare the patient for the transplant, chemotherapy, and other medication therapies are provided to eliminate any remaining cancerous plasma cells.
The doctor carefully calculates the dosage and number of sessions required to eliminate these abnormal cells. Following chemotherapy, the patient receives the previously collected healthy stem cells, which are then reintroduced into the body through an intravenous (IV) infusion. The cost of stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma in India starts from Rs.15Lakhs depending upon the type of transplant.
Plasmapheresis
Plasmapheresis is a procedure that extracts blood, separates plasma containing abnormal proteins, and returns the remaining components to manage complications related to increased protein levels in multiple myeloma.
While it is not a direct cancer treatment, it does help to relieve related symptoms and improve general well-being.
