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jazzmom Member
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My mom is 63 young years. She was diagnosed with MM on Friday. She has a few lesions on her spine and hip bone, severe anemia, high calcium, between stage 2-3 kidney failure and suffers from High Blood pressure. We started with a new doctor this week. I told him we wanted to go to Huntsman which is only 4 hours away, he indicated that Dr. Tricot would pursue a too agressive treatment for her and it would kill her. However, our current doctor seems good but doesn not specialize in MM. Is it too late for help? Is she a candidate for Stem Cell at all if health stabilizes? Do we make the trip to Huntsman's. I called Huntsman's but all I received a recorded message that they would call me in a couple of days. Could really use some advice. A scared daughter in Idaho!!! |
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Annick Member
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Hi jazzmom, Thank you for your posting. I am the research coordinator for the myeloma program here at Huntsman and wanted to take a few minutes to respond to your query. First of all, I want to assure you that it's not too late for help for your mother. Your mother's symptoms - the hypercalcemia, anemia, and renal failure (i.e. kidney failure)- are all classic myeloma manifestations. With the appropriate treatment, all of these symptoms are reversible, including the kidney failure. However, it requires more aggressive treatment within 6 months of diagnosis to optimize the chances of reversing her renal failure. If a patient has renal failure, we dose-adjust the different treatments to take that into account so that the chemo and transplant can be safely administered. We have had many patients in your mother's situation go safely through our treatment schema, and there are other treatment options available if your mother isn't eligible to undergo a transplant at this time. Our clinical trial data indicate that at least 50% of our patients survive 10+ years with this treatment approach, which is significantly better than the average 2-3 year survival rates associated with different combinations of older and newer drugs (i.e Velcade, Thalidomide, Revlimid, and Dexamethasone). The most important thing for your mother is to have her treated by a physician who specializes in myeloma and who has vast experience in treating myeloma patients. Given that your family is only 4 hours away, I would encourage you to come here for a consult and investigate what Huntsman has to offer. At minimum, it will provide you with another treatment perspective. I wish you, your mother, and your family the very best. |
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DougC Member
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There's a reason people come from around the world to be treated at the Huntsman. I can't believe how fortunate I am to have a cancer institute only few hours from home with a medical team specializing in myeloma research and treatment. All I can say is, I made the trip down I-15 and I'm glad I did. |
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