4 ms·

I read this article yesterday, helped me a bit. My 62yo father was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma when a vertebrate in his back basically disintegrate

I read this article yesterday, helped me a bit. My 62yo father was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma when a vertebrate in his back basically disintegrated. Spent his whole life as a fine finishing carpenter. When he was in his 20s he just wore flimsy paper masks, and I don't know if ever wore gloves when using stains and lacquers. We always joked he was going to get something from the chemicals, not so funny now that it hit.

malgorithms 3y ago
You’re probably in the process of learning this now, but in case you’re just getting started: effective multiple myeloma treatments are being approved at an astonishing rate. It was a death sentence 20 years ago. Now it’s indefinitely treatable for many people. A close family member was diagnosed 5 years ago and went through a stem cell transplant at Dana farber and the cancer still hasn’t returned…although statistically by now I believe it should have. But when it does return there is now a massive menu of next treatments for her that will likely hold it at bay. Things are changing so fast now that I’m not sure the stem cell treatment is the first step. Good luck to your dad.
- pfdietz 3y ago
  It's not just multiple myeloma. All sorts of cancers are getting exciting and effective treatments. Some are still really bad news, though.
  - askonomm 3y ago
    I wish the availability of those treatments would trickle down regular hospitals in non-US countries as well. I keep reading about all this amazing work being done, and yet my local hospitals in Estonia most likely haven't heard of them, or can't afford to implement it.
    - FooBarWidget 3y ago
      What does that mean for someone in Europe with cancer? They have to spend their life savings and sell their house for a trip to a US hospital to get treated?
      - sannee 3y ago
        Assuming they have enough money, yes. Public charity drives for such cases are also pretty common.
    - wahnfrieden 3y ago
      is the knowledge not shared, or do other hospitals lack the means/initiative to learn and execute such advancements?
      - thecyborganizer 3y ago
        As a doctor, why bother spending your time learning about exotic foreign cancer treatments that aren't available in your country, and your patients couldn't afford if they were? It would be nice if doctors did anyway, but I can certainly understand why they wouldn't.
      - pfdietz 3y ago
        I think the European health systems simply refuse to buy the relevant drugs at the prices being charged, and the producers refuse to reduce prices for them. The US health system is criticized for being expensive, but some of that is from the US effectively bankrolling the development of these new treatments, which the rest of the world gets after some delay.
        askonomm 3y ago
        Exactly this. The hospitals will simply say that the treatments are too expensive and that they lack the funds, and you are on your own. In fact it's so bad that even basic chemotherapy is only covered to a certain point, and if you are not cured in that time, you have to pay additional runs of chemo from your own pocket, even though we have "national healthcare free for everyone who pays taxes".
  - tpm 3y ago
    What's the best way to get up to date info for specific cancers? A relative has one (bladder) but web search does not seem to suggest anything effective for his version apart from bladder removal.
    - ChoGGi 3y ago
      I know two people that were cured (1 year and 4 years so far) by whatever the inactivated TB squirted in your bladder treatment is called. Edit: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)
- willismichael 3y ago
  > It was a death sentence 20 years ago. Now it’s indefinitely treatable for many people. Wow. That's great to hear. 25 years ago I was in the midst of losing a close family member to multiple myeloma. I'm glad that the prognosis has improved so much since then.
- nacho2sweet 3y ago
  Thank you! This makes me feel good. He is going for the stem cell viability test in January, at Vancouver General after some chemo so fingers crossed. He heard a story of a friend of a friend who has lived so far 7 years so it gave him hope, initial diagnoses was very scary.
  - el_benhameen 3y ago
    I lost a close relative to MM about a year ago, but he lived an almost normal life with it for about 16 years. It seems like the recent advancements in car-t therapies are even more promising than some of the stem cell treatments, so there are lots of options out there and more are coming online rapidly. Sending good vibes to you and your dad.
- yread 3y ago
  Yeah a family member received bone marrow transplant for MM 8 years ago still here. Lenalidomide works great

malgorithms 3y ago

You’re probably in the process of learning this now, but in case you’re just getting started: effective multiple myeloma treatments are being approved at an astonishing rate. It was a death sentence 20 years ago. Now it’s indefinitely treatable for many people. A close family member was diagnosed 5 years ago and went through a stem cell transplant at Dana farber and the cancer still hasn’t returned…although statistically by now I believe it should have. But when it does return there is now a massive menu of next treatments for her that will likely hold it at bay. Things are changing so fast now that I’m not sure the stem cell treatment is the first step. Good luck to your dad.

pfdietz 3y ago
It's not just multiple myeloma. All sorts of cancers are getting exciting and effective treatments. Some are still really bad news, though.
- askonomm 3y ago
  I wish the availability of those treatments would trickle down regular hospitals in non-US countries as well. I keep reading about all this amazing work being done, and yet my local hospitals in Estonia most likely haven't heard of them, or can't afford to implement it.
  - FooBarWidget 3y ago
    What does that mean for someone in Europe with cancer? They have to spend their life savings and sell their house for a trip to a US hospital to get treated?
    - sannee 3y ago
      Assuming they have enough money, yes. Public charity drives for such cases are also pretty common.
  - wahnfrieden 3y ago
    is the knowledge not shared, or do other hospitals lack the means/initiative to learn and execute such advancements?
    - thecyborganizer 3y ago
      As a doctor, why bother spending your time learning about exotic foreign cancer treatments that aren't available in your country, and your patients couldn't afford if they were? It would be nice if doctors did anyway, but I can certainly understand why they wouldn't.
    - pfdietz 3y ago
      I think the European health systems simply refuse to buy the relevant drugs at the prices being charged, and the producers refuse to reduce prices for them. The US health system is criticized for being expensive, but some of that is from the US effectively bankrolling the development of these new treatments, which the rest of the world gets after some delay.
      - askonomm 3y ago
        Exactly this. The hospitals will simply say that the treatments are too expensive and that they lack the funds, and you are on your own. In fact it's so bad that even basic chemotherapy is only covered to a certain point, and if you are not cured in that time, you have to pay additional runs of chemo from your own pocket, even though we have "national healthcare free for everyone who pays taxes".
- tpm 3y ago
  What's the best way to get up to date info for specific cancers? A relative has one (bladder) but web search does not seem to suggest anything effective for his version apart from bladder removal.
  - ChoGGi 3y ago
    I know two people that were cured (1 year and 4 years so far) by whatever the inactivated TB squirted in your bladder treatment is called. Edit: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)
willismichael 3y ago
> It was a death sentence 20 years ago. Now it’s indefinitely treatable for many people. Wow. That's great to hear. 25 years ago I was in the midst of losing a close family member to multiple myeloma. I'm glad that the prognosis has improved so much since then.
nacho2sweet 3y ago
Thank you! This makes me feel good. He is going for the stem cell viability test in January, at Vancouver General after some chemo so fingers crossed. He heard a story of a friend of a friend who has lived so far 7 years so it gave him hope, initial diagnoses was very scary.
- el_benhameen 3y ago
  I lost a close relative to MM about a year ago, but he lived an almost normal life with it for about 16 years. It seems like the recent advancements in car-t therapies are even more promising than some of the stem cell treatments, so there are lots of options out there and more are coming online rapidly. Sending good vibes to you and your dad.
yread 3y ago
Yeah a family member received bone marrow transplant for MM 8 years ago still here. Lenalidomide works great