Many people with multiple myeloma will be presented with the option of getting a stem-cell transplant. This may not be an easy decision, but if you are eligible, the evidence is clear: those who do live longer than people that don’t. According to Dr. Nina Shah, “For people who got their first rounds of chemotherapy and then went straight on to a transplant, versus those who got chemotherapy only and continue to get more cycles of chemotherapy, the people who have had the transplant have had their remission last for 14 months longer than those who did not. The longer you are in remission, or a ‘stable state of disease,’ the longer you can have a better quality of life. As it stands, doctors recommend transplant up front, for people who are eligible.”
Because of the toll it takes on the body, not everyone is healthy enough to receive a transplant. Shah clarifies what determines eligibility, “What does eligible mean? It means you’re pretty healthy, your heart works okay, your lungs work okay. If you could go to Target and pick up a few things today, you are probably eligible for a transplant. Doctors like to make sure a person can walk, can do the normal days activities, before saying a patient is healthy enough to go for a transplant.”
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