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Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Stages of Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that affects plasma cells, a type of white blood cell responsible for producing immune factors such as antibodies. It is characterized by the accumulation of cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow. The cancer progresses through four distinct stages: smoldering, active, relapsed, and refractory.

Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Refractory multiple myeloma is the most advanced stage of the cancer. It occurs when the cancer is unresponsive to treatment with conventional chemotherapy or targeted therapy. In other words, the cancer does not respond to drugs that previously controlled the disease. Refractory multiple myeloma is considered a terminal stage, as it is associated with poor prognosis and typically progresses rapidly.

Symptoms

The symptoms of refractory multiple myeloma vary widely and may depend on individual factors such as age, health status and the extent of the disease. Common symptoms include:

  • Fatigue
  • B breathlessness
  • Frequent infections
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Bone pain
  • Hypercalcemia (elevated calcium levels in the blood)
  • Kidney failure
  • Anemia

Diagnosis

Diagnosing refractory multiple myeloma requires a thorough evaluation by a cancer specialist. The doctor may perform a physical examination and order imaging tests such as CT or MRI scans, blood tests, and a sample of bone marrow and a PET scan for a more detailed picture of the disease. In some cases, a biopsy of the bone marrow may be requested as well.

Treatment

Unfortunately, there is no standard of care for refractory multiple myeloma, and strategies for treating the disease are still being developed. Treatment options may include high-dose chemotherapy, autologous stem cell transplant, or immunotherapy. The doctor may also suggest palliative care or clinical trials as treatment options.

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Related Questions

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below.The Italian banking system became the model for those North European nations that would achieve the greatest commercial success in the coming centuries, notably the Dutch, the English, and the Swedes. It was in Amsterdam, London and Stockholm that the next decisive wave of financial or innovation occurred, as the forerunners of modern central banks made their first appearance. The seventeenth century saw the foundation of three distinctly novel institutions that, in their differen in ways, were intended to serve a public as well as a private financial function. The Amsterdam Exchange Bank, i.e. the Wisselbank, was set up in 1609 to resolve the practical problems created for merchants by the circulation of multiple currencies in the United Provinces, where there were no fewer than fourteen different mints and copious quantities of foreign coins. By allowing merchants to set up accounts denominated in a standardized currency, the Exchange Bank pioneered the system of cheques and direct debits or transfers that we take for granted today. This allowed more and more commercial transactions to take place without the need for the sums involved to materialize in actual coins. Financial historians disagree as to how far the growth of banking after the seventeenth century can be credited with the acceleration of economic growth that began in Britain in the late eighteenth 20 5 century and then spread to Western Europe, North America and Australasia. But banks played a more important role in continental European industrialization than they did in England's.a) Where did the precursors of modern central banks make their first appearance? b) What practical problem was the Wisselbank required to resolve in its initial days?c) How did the Amsterdam Exchange Bank respond to the demand of the age? d) What are the points of disagreement among the financial historians with respect to growth of banking vis-a-vis growth of economy? e) Choose a suitable title for above composition.
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