Using the body’s immune system to fight disease has proven effective across a variety of illnesses. In multiple myeloma, immunotherapies have proven to be highly effective in combating the cancer in a way that hasn’t been possible with previous treatments. Despite this, most immunotherapies up to this point–such as CAR T-Cell Therapy and monoclonal antibodies–have only been used much later in the progression of the disease. So there is another kind of therapy which is showing some promise raising the question of whether to use an antibody as part of initial treatment for multiple myeloma?
There is a difference in the availability of two of the new treatments. CAR T-Cell Therapy which involves modifying your own immune cells to specifically target myeloma cells. is currently only approved in clinical trials at academic medical centers. It may soon become FDA approved as more research is gathered, but right now access is limited. However monoclonal antibodies which tag cancer cells with a ‘marker’ that helps the immune system to detect and attack the disease more easily, have recently been approved by the FDA to Become a potential initial treatment regimen as part of a triplet therapy.
Read MoreThere are a number of different kinds of drugs now being used for the treatment of patients with recently diagnosed multiple myeloma.These drugs work in different ways and have different side effects. SurvivorNet recommends that you speak to your physician early-on about about the different treatment options.
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