There is a standard of care for treatment for an initial multiple myeloma diagnosis. Usually, patients are prescribed a combination of three drugs: Bortezomib, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone. It’s also possible physicians will consider Cyclophosphimide. There is also evidence that an alternative to Bortezomib is Carfilzomibe.
Doctors will also make decisions about what drugs to prescribe based on any conditions you might have. Maybe you have neuropathy, a condition of numbness and tingling in arms and legs. In this case, Bortezamib would not be a good choice since it can induce neuropathy. Dr. Nina Shah, multiple myeloma specialist from UCSF says your doctor might opt instead to give you the drug called Carfilzomibe. Dr. Shah cites another example. “Let’s say, for example, your kidneys don’t work that well. Maybe in that case, it’ll be hard to get a higher dose of the drug Lenalidomide.” This is a problem because Lenalidomide has been associated with kidney disease.
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