Advances in Multiple Myeloma Care Extend Patient Survival

Medical advances, early detection, and improved hospital infrastructure are helping patients with multiple myeloma in Mexico achieve significantly longer survival, says Jorge Cruz, Head of Hematology Service, Hospital Juárez de México.

Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that originates in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in the bone marrow responsible for antibody production. In this disease, plasma cells grow uncontrollably, leading to tumor development and associated symptoms.

Cruz says that patients who previously had a life expectancy of four to six years are now living more than 10 years. Over 60% of patients in Mexico respond well to treatments ranging from surgical procedures to orthopedic support, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and autologous stem cell transplants, alongside emerging therapies, he adds.

The care of multiple myeloma patients relies on a multidisciplinary team led by hematology specialists and including nursing, traumatology, infectology, nephrology, pulmonology, cardiology, psychology, psychiatry, and social work professionals.

Cruz highlights bone pain as the main warning sign, which can occur with spontaneous or pathological fractures, particularly in the spine, hips, ribs, or limbs. Other warning signs include anemia, recurrent infections, renal failure, swelling in the extremities, weight loss, and, in severe cases, tumors called plasmacytomas in various organs.

The causes of multiple myeloma remain largely unknown but have been linked to chronic exposure to radiation, pesticides, family history, age, and gender, with males being most affected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Mexico recorded about 2,400 new cases in 2022, with higher prevalence among men.

World Multiple Myeloma Day, observed each Sept. 5, aims to raise awareness of the disease, emphasize the importance of hospital infrastructure capable of supporting transplants and comprehensive care, and promote the use of novel medications that enable prolonged remission.