What Does Remission Mean In Multiple Myeloma?
I find it interesting that many of you say that you are in "remission." My husband's Hematology Oncologist says that he never tells his patients that they are in "remission" because if one looked hard enough in a MM patient, they could always find some cancer cells hiding somewhere in the body. Has anyone else ever been told this before?
Yes, my doctor tells me most people need long term maintenance to keep the myeloma at bay
I was diagnosed in August 2019,. I have been in complete remision, with no MRD or maintenance therapy for 2 years. I had the sensitive MRD test done, which detects very small numbers of cells that are not detectable in usual bloodwork. Not one was found! Hoping that lasts another 5 years post-diagnosis!
Hi Jean - good question - I think of MM as the remitting and relapsing disease. I consider myself "in remission" when the maintenance treatment I'm on is controlling the disease, and my test results are normal. (as normal as an MM patient can be)
A relapse is when the labs are no longer normal, and the MM shows signs of progression. That will be the time when my doctors will have to switch to a new line of therapy. That will involve getting the disease back under control and then utilizing maintenance therapy.
At the end of the day, I try not to dwell on this too much. It's too easy to get on the internet and "go down the rabbit hole." I'm an old accountant, and I love facts and stats. However, in this case, it's better for me to put my trust in God and not worry.
This may be more information that you needed. 😂. Hope you have a great day! Blessings!♥️
Myeloma starts in our stem cells. They have to figure out why our bone marrow makes them in the first place 😏
Thank you for your responses. Matt, you explained “remission” in a way I had not heard before. Thank you for the information.
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