We have a good friend who has Myeloma and has just finished collecting cells 2 weeks ago. Last week while undergoing the barrage of testing done prior to transplant they discovered he evidentally has a hole in his bowels. He was told that the chemo and Dex can cause this. What will this do to his transplant? and How do they fix this problem? Is this a common 'side effect?"
Sorry, lots of questions in one little posting, but never heard of this one before.
I asked Dr. Tricot about this and he says that a perforation can indeed be caused by chemotherapy, especially dexamethasone. He says this typically will require surgery, which will delay the transplant.
He went on to say that the crucial thing is to identify the right time to do the transplant. On one hand, the patient needs to recover from the surgery. But, on the other hand, you don't want to wait too long or the chances that the transplant is successful will decrease. The key thing is not to delay the transplant too much.
I hope this helps, and I wish your friend all the best.
