How do you counsel patients with newly diagnosed transplant-ineligible multiple myeloma on the expectations of treatment in terms of disease control, duration of therapy, monitoring and follow up?
I'm going to take this question very literally and write a paraphrase of my general explanation to patients at an initial diagnosis and treatment planning visit. Forgive me, this is long, a paraphrase of a 30-60 minute visit with a patient. I hope this will result in others sharing how they navigate...
It is important to make sure patients understand that while long-term remissions are possible, myeloma appears to be incurable for the majority of patients. It is important to accurately risk stratify the patients so that they have a good understanding of the prognosis. It is also important to highl...
This is an ongoing conversation during the induction phase of therapy and reassessing their personal goals along the way. It is very important to have geri-onc management during their care, along with supportive care measures to manage bone health and infection risk.