More than 20,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that that causes painful bone lesions. Multiple myeloma arises in a specialized type of immune cell that normally produces disease-fighting antibodies, and the disease is considered to be incurable by most oncologists. However, the development of new and more effective drugs has improved survival rates of patients with multiple myeloma, and yet more drugs are being tested in clinical trials. The article discusses the latest treatment strategies for multiple myeloma, including newly approved drugs ongoing clinical trials, and follows the experiences of two multiple myeloma patients as they navigate the disease.
