WRNMMC, Bethesda, MD  –   The John P. Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center recently hosted the multiple myeloma (MM) lecture, which featured guest speaker Dr. Luciano Costa, professor of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
Costa, who’s also affiliated with the Central Alabama Veterans Health-Care System-Montgomery, is noted for his development of new therapies for multiple myeloma, including new cellular therapies and immunotherapy. Since his arrival at UAB in 2014, enrollment in clinical trials for patients with multiple myeloma has increased, including among African American men, who are hardest hit by the blood cancer, according to UAB officials. He has stated, “When a patient sees your enthusiasm that has more impact than anything."
Costa has also done extensive work minimal residual disease in multiple myeloma. MRD refers to the small number of malignant cells below the limit of detection available with conventional morphologic assessment. In multiple myeloma, MRD refers to myeloma cells that are present in the bone marrow after a clinical response has been measured and the patient is in remission. These residual myeloma cells are clinically relevant since they may lead to disease progression and relapse. He explained MRD is important as a “powerful” prognostic tool which can be used to identify patients at high risk of relapse.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells that “doesn’t develop overnight, but over years,” Costa said. He added multiple myeloma accounts for 10 percent of blood cancers, 1 percent of all cancers, and African Americans have a greater-than-average risk of developing MM.
Costa explained clinical manifestations of multiple myeloma include bone disease, anemia, hypercalcemia, infection, hyperviscosity (blood thickens), pathologic fractures, weakness, spinal cord compression, and renal failure. He added there are about 35,000 cases of MM diagnosed annually in the United States.
The American Cancer Society estimates that for this year in the U.S., there will be about 34,470 new cases of multiple myeloma diagnosed (19,100 in men and 15,370 in women), and approximately 12,640 deaths (7,090 in men and 5,550 in women) from the cancer, which is diagnosed through blood tests, often when a person goes to their provider for another issue.
Therapeutic treatment options depends on the stage of the disease and can range from targeted therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, corticosteroids, bone marrow transplant to radiation therapy, or a combination, Costa explained.
According to Cancer.Net, which provides information about various types of cancer and cancer-related syndromes, the five-year survival rate indicates what percentage of people live at least five years after the cancer is found. Percent means how many out of 100. The overall five-year survival rate for people with multiple myeloma in the United States is 55 percent.
“For the 4 percent of people who are diagnosed at an early stage, the five-year survival rate is over 77 percent. If the cancer has spread to a distant part of the body, the five-year survival rate is over 54 percent. Approximately 96 percent of cases are diagnosed at this stage.”
“Survival rates have steadily increased over time, so the five-year survival rate may underestimate the impact of recent progress made in the treatment of this disease. Moreover, several factors affect an individual’s survival, such as the person’s age and overall health. For instance, it is known that survival rates are higher in younger people than in older people,” Cancer.Net added.
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. In addition to multiple myeloma, other blood cancers include Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
The risk factors for blood cancer are not fully understood, but some studies have shown that blood cancers develop from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Smoking, radiation exposure, and exposure to certain chemicals have all been linked to increased risk of some types of blood cancers.
For more information regarding blood cancer, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/uscs/about/data-briefs/no30-hematologic-incidence-surv-prev.htm#:~:text=The%20two%20main%20types%20are,bones%20that%20makes%20blood%20cells.