Myeloma Treatment Options

The Cancer Therapy Team at Salisbury District Hospital offer ‘prehabilitation’ which is the work done to build up your physical and mental health, before your cancer treatment starts. This aims to put you in the best place possible to manage the treatment to come. You can find out more about the Cancer Therapy Team here.

Macmillan Cancer Support have also put together the following information and videos: Prehabilitation videos for people living with cancer.

Will I need treatment immediately?

Not everyone diagnosed with myeloma will need to start treatment immediately. The timing of treatment will depend on the results from various tests and investigations, together with any symptoms you have.

What will treatment involve?

Treatment for myeloma is almost always with a combination of drugs. It’s usually given over a number of weeks, which may or may not be followed by a rest period. This pattern constitutes one cycle of treatment, and a series of treatment cycles is referred to as a course of treatment.

Your doctor may refer to all of your treatment as “chemo” or “chemotherapy” to keep things simple. In fact, treatment combinations are usually made up of two or three different types of drugs which work well together. These can include myeloma chemotherapy drugs, steroids and other types of anti-myeloma drugs.

What treatment will I have?

Your myeloma treatment will be co-ordinated by your specialist doctor (haematologist). They’ll discuss all your options with you and together you’ll decide what’s most appropriate for you.

The initial course of treatment tends to last four to six months. After this, some patients may be suitable to go on and have high-dose therapy and stem cell transplantation.

Myeloma UK also provide lots of information on the treatment on Myeloma on their website: Treating myeloma - Myeloma UK

For information on the medications you have been prescribed to treat Myeloma, visit Macmillan Cancer Support’s website where you will be able to find information on the medication via their ‘A to Z list of cancer drugs’, which is available here.

Alternatively, Cancer Research UK provide information on medication which you may be prescribed, you can also search via the following link: Cancer drugs A to Z list | Treatment for cancer | Cancer Research UK

For full information on the Oncology Department at Salisbury District Hospital, please click here.

What is high-dose therapy and stem cell transplantation?

The following websites have some useful information on stem cell transplants:

Lymphoma Action | Stem cell transplants (lymphoma-action.org.uk)

High-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation - Myeloma Infoguide

Having a stem cell transplant | Anthony Nolan

Supportive treatments

You may also be prescribed other treatment to help prevent or manage potential side effects of your treatment. You might also be given other treatment to help with the symptoms and complications of myeloma.

What if I am unwell after receiving cancer treatment?

24 hour helpline for existing patients: 01722 341930

The helpline is for existing patients who have a temperature, feel unwell, or for advice on chemotherapy side effects or complications. For all other questions, please use one of the other numbers during normal working hours.

Acute Oncology working hours: Monday – Friday, 08:30 – 16:30

We provide advice and assessment for cancer patients who have severe symptoms or start to feel unwell as a result of Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatment (SACT) or cancer diagnosis.

Our experienced team is made up of a coordinator and clinical nurse specialists (CNS) who liaise closely with your consultant haematologist to ensure you receive the best support and care.

We provide telephone support to answer questions and triage your symptoms. This urgent advice line is manned by the Acute Oncology Team during office hours (Monday – Friday, 08:30 – 16:00) and then covered by trained nurses out of hours.

Our clinical team can provide advice on managing symptoms and if necessary, can invite you for a face-to-face assessment or organise admission to the hospital for further symptom control and investigations.

Please note we are not a walk-in facility, and any face-to-face assessments should be organised via the urgent advice line.

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