Myth Busting: Multiple Myeloma — Fractures, Cures, Transplants
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/ Updated January 23rd, 2021

Myth Busting: Multiple Myeloma — Fractures, Cures, Transplants

Medical Source: Dr. Sarah Holstein
University of Nebraska Medical Center
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There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to multiple myeloma. Does multiple myeloma cause bone fractures? Can I only get a stem cell transplant from close relatives? Is there a cure? In this series, we asked multiple myeloma specialist Dr. Sarah Holstein of the University of Nebraska Medical Center to clear a few things up:

Multiple myeloma weakens bones, which makes them more susceptible to fractures — True.

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Bone fractures are a common symptom of multiple myeloma. This is because the cancerous myeloma cells keep the cells in the bone responsible for removing old bone and rebuilding new bone from working properly. “In the presence of the myeloma cells, the bone-chewing up cells become much more active which causes these holes in the bone to form,” explains Holstein. The holes can weaken the bone and eventually produce fractures.

There is no cure for multiple myeloma — True.

Unfortunately, multiple myeloma is currently incurable, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to live a long life with the disease. In fact, 80% of patients are alive ten years after their initial diagnosis. According to Dr. Holstein: “The myeloma community worldwide is doing everything possible to make that answer become false in hopefully a very short period of time.”

Only blood relatives can be donors for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant — False.

This is not true, bone marrow transplants can come from your own body, blood relatives, or non-relatives that are great matches. There are two types of stem cell transplants that patients may receive as treatment for multiple myeloma: The autologous transplant and the allogenic transplant.

During an autologous stem-cell transplant, your own healthy stem-cells are removed from your bone marrow prior to chemotherapy and then are re-inserted into the bone marrow following therapy. Currently, almost all patients who undergo stem-cell transplant are given an autologous transplant.

An allogenic transplant takes stem-cells from a healthy donor that closely matches your body's cell type and may be related to you. “Although we do certainly look for a relative to donate bone marrow, we take advantage of the fact that we can use unrelated bone marrow donors. And for that we need a bone marrow registry. Because it carries greater risks, allogenic transplant is currently only approved in clinical trials.

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Dr. Sarah Holstein is a physician-scientist who specializes in the treatment of multiple myeloma and related diseases. Prior to joining the faculty at University of Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Holstein served as a myeloma specialist at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the University of Iowa. Her own laboratory is focused on gaining a better understanding of multiple myeloma and the development of novel therapeutic agents for the disease. Her laboratory research has received funding from such sources as the National Institutes of Health and the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Holstein is also involved in clinical trials for patients with newly diagnosed myeloma, those in the post-transplant maintenance setting, as well as those with relapsed/refractory disease. Read More

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