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Older than most in the MM group. 79 yrs and recently diagnosed.
Blood Cancers & Disorders | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (20)Comment receiving replies
My husband will soon be 79 and is in generally good health and a very active person. Last September he was diagnosed with MM. PET scan showed one or two small tumors. He is on RVD and is responding well. We consulted with a MM bone marrow specialist at City of Hope who did not recommend a ASBM due to his age, although given certain criteria he will perform it on patients over the age of 75. His reasons regarding my husband: age protocols (over 75), previous cancers (resolved prostate and melanoma), very difficult prep for ASBM (even for those younger in age) and a greater possibility, for some reason, for other cancers to show up in those having bone marrows after age 75. Even with ASBM, it is not a cure and will eventually return. Finally, there are a number of other medications available and being researched for treatment of MM.
What may work well and be appropriate treatment for one patient, may not be so for another. We are happy to be under the care of City of Hope physicians and nurses who treat us as individuals and with concern.
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Thank you. It sounds like you are in good hands! I understand that the City of Hope is one of the top hospitals for cancer in the country. We are trying to coordinate our treatment with MD Anderson and our community oncologist team in Austin. If it works out we won't have to move, but if not we will move to Houston to follow MD Anderson's care. They recommend different treatments. Texas oncology recommends DRd as their first line of treatment and MD Anderson recommends a fourth drug in the DRdV as a first line. We have a consultation in a few weeks with a Stem Cell transplant specialist to see if I can qualify for it..