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Gregg
The date was May 15, 2015, in the local office of the hematologist/oncologist and I was given this message after the results of my bone marrow biopsy taken a week earlier.
Related Diseases
Myeloma shares some similar features and symptoms with other blood disorders, including:
Treatment
There is not one treatment that is effective for all myelofibrosis (MF) patients. Patients have varying symptoms and circumstances that require different treatment options. Some MF patients remain symptom-free for many years and do not require immediate treatment. All MF patients, however, need to be closely monitored.
Stem Cell Transplantation with High-Dose Chemotherapy
High-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation are important parts of treatment plans for eligible, recently diagnosed myeloma patients.
Treatment for Indolent NHL Subtypes
Indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes progress slowly. They make up about 40 percent of all NHL cases in the United States. Indolent subtypes include:
Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a potentially serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation and reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation. In this treatment, a patient’s own damaged or diseased blood-forming stem cells are destroyed. Then they are replaced with healthy stem cells from a donor.
Healthy Eating
People living with cancer may have different nutrition goals and challenges, depending on their:
CML Phases and Prognostic Factors
CML has three phases. The phase of your chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) plays a large part in determining the type of treatment you'll receive. Doctors use diagnostic tests to determine the phase of CML. Determining the CML phase is based primarily on the number of immature white blood cells (blasts) in the patient’s blood and bone marrow.
Phases of CMLChronic Phase. Most patients are diagnosed with CML in the with chronic phase of the disease.
People with chronic phase CML:
Follow-Up Care For Childhood Cancer Survivors
Survivorship WorkbookUse this Survivorship Workbook to collect all the important information you need throughout diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and long-term management of a blood cancer.
Maggie
When I was 8 years old, I was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). I shocked the doctors with how I was still alive because I had a mass the size of a grapefruit on my lungs and masses all over my other vital organs. When I was admitted to the hospital, they got chemo going everywhere they possibly could ― in my port, my arm, my foot. I was then put into a medically induced coma for about two weeks before waking up. After a while in the ICU, I was sent down to the main floor for hematology/oncology.
Diagnosis
While certain signs and symptoms may indicate that a person has MF, a series of tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis. It is important to have an accurate diagnosis, as it helps the doctor to:
- Estimate how the disease will progress
- Determine the appropriate treatment
Some of these tests may be repeated both during and after treatment to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.
Getting a Second Opinion
Leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes are each different types of cancers. What's more, each disease has subtypes. This means that the signs of the disease, how it's diagnosed and treated and the expected outcomes vary. That's why it's essential to have the right diagnosis before you begin or continue with treatment.
Long-Term and Late Effects of Treatment
Some side effects of cancer treatment, such as fatigue, can linger for months or years after therapy. Some medical conditions like heart disease and other cancers may not appear until years after treatment ends.
Tawilhua
My name is Tee, and I am a survivor of multiple myeloma (MM), a rare blood cancer. Before my diagnosis, I was an active principal at the school where I worked, was involved in my community, and lived a life of purpose. And then I was diagnosed with the “Big C.”
Today, I still have a purpose-filled life, it simply looks different than before. Telling my cancer story is a part of living a fulfilled life after a cancer diagnosis. So here is Tee’s story.
NHL Subtypes
More than 60 specific NHL subtypes have been identified and assigned names by the World Health Organization (WHO). NHL subtypes are categorized by the characteristics of the lymphoma cells, including their appearance, the presence of proteins on the surface of the cells and their genetic features. It's important to know your subtype since it plays a large part in determining the type of treatment you'll receive. A hematopathologist, a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis of blood disorders and blood cancers, should review your biopsy specimens.
Be Your Child’s Advocate
Parents may need to educate other family members, friends, school personnel and healthcare providers about long-term and late effects. Here are some steps parents can take:
Follow-Up Care and Survivorship
Survivorship WorkbookUse this Survivorship Workbook to collect all the important information you need throughout diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and long-term management of a blood cancer.
Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy
The main treatment for active myeloma is systemic drug therapy (meaning the drugs travel through the bloodstream to kill malignant cells). The initial therapy, or “induction therapy,” for myeloma usually includes a combination of targeted agents and/or standard chemotherapy. This therapy is often followed by stem cell transplantation in eligible patients.
Common drugs combinations for people with newly diagnosed myeloma include:
Nutrition
Food provides valuable nutrients for cancer patients. Eating well during cancer treatment helps to speed recovery, ease side effects, and keep the treatment plan running smoothly.
Myeloma Overview
We provide education and outreach programs nationwide to increase awareness of myeloma and to improve all patients’ ability to access treatment and other resources. We are in the process of updating and enhancing our Myeloma Link webpage to provide you with more information about these programs.
MyelomaMyeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell. Plasma cells develop from B lymphocytes (B cells). B cells are found in the blood, lymph nodes and bone marrow.
Diagnosis
An accurate diagnosis of the type of leukemia is important. The exact diagnosis helps the doctor to
- Estimate how the disease will progress
- Determine the appropriate treatment
After your doctor or clinician takes your blood, he or she sends it to a lab for a complete blood count (CBC), which shows the number of red cells, white cells and platelets in your blood.
Kari
I am writing this in 2022, but I never would have believed when acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) struck my daughter in 2013, that it would feel like we were back at step 1.
Nicholas
It started with a stiff neck. Then came fatigue and a sore throat. I started feeling full after only a few bites of food. Workouts were getting more difficult to complete. My heart rate was consistently north of 100 just lying in bed. Rationalized. It's maybe strep. Could be mono. I prescribed myself antibiotics and popped ibuprofen. Nothing was working. Reluctantly went to an urgent care after weeks of feeling like this. Bloodwork was done.