Multiple Myeloma (cont.)
Follow-up care for multiple myeloma
Follow-up care after treatment for multiple myeloma is important. Your
doctor will monitor your health and check for recurrence or changes in the
cancer. Checkups help ensure that any changes in your health are noted and
treated as needed. Checkups may include a physical exam, lab tests, bone
marrow aspiration, and x-rays. Between scheduled visits, you should contact
the doctor right away if you have any health problems.
To help answer questions about follow-up care and other concerns, the NCI has
a booklet for people who have completed their treatment. Facing Forward
Series: Life After Cancer Treatment provides tips for making the best use of
medical visits. It describes how to talk with the doctor about creating a plan
of action for recovery and future health.
Sources of support for cancer patients
Living with a serious disease such as multiple myeloma is not easy. You may
worry about caring for your family, keeping your job, or continuing daily
activities. Concerns about treatments and managing side effects, hospital
stays, and medical bills are also common. Doctors, nurses, and other members
of the health care team can answer questions about treatment, work, or other
activities. Meeting with a social worker, counselor, or member of the clergy
can be helpful if you want to talk about your feelings or concerns. Often, a
social worker can suggest resources for financial aid, transportation, home
care, or emotional support.
Support groups also can help. In these groups, patients or their family
members meet with other patients or their families to share what they have
learned about coping with the disease and the effects of treatment. Groups may
offer support in person, over the telephone, or on the Internet. You may want to
talk with a member of your health care team about finding a support group.
Cancer Information Specialists at 1-800-4-CANCER and at LiveHelp
(http://www.cancer.gov) can help you locate programs, services, and
publications. Also, you may want to see the NCI fact sheets called "Cancer
Support Groups: Questions and Answers" and "National Organizations That Offer
Services to People With Cancer and Their Families."
The promise of cancer research
Doctors all over the country are conducting clinical trials (research
studies in which people volunteer to take part). Many are studying new ways to
treat multiple myeloma.
Clinical trials are designed to answer important questions and to find out
whether the new treatments are safe and effective. Research already has led to
advances, such as stem cell transplantation, and researchers continue to look
for better ways to treat multiple myeloma.
Researchers are testing anticancer drugs (such as thalidomide and bortezomib)
and drug combinations. They are also testing ways to improve stem cell
transplantation for people with multiple myeloma.
People who join clinical trials may be among the first to benefit if a new
approach is effective. And even if participants do not benefit directly, they
still make an important contribution to medicine by helping doctors learn more
about the disease and how to control it. Although clinical trials may pose some
risks, researchers do all they can to protect their patients.
If you are interested in being part of a clinical trial, you should talk with
your doctor. You may want to read the NCI booklet Taking Part in Clinical
Trials: What Cancer Patients Need To Know. The NCI also offers an
easy-to-read brochure called If You Have Cancer...What You Should Know About
Clinical Trials. These NCI publications describe how clinical trials are
carried out and explain their possible benefits and risks.
NCI's Web site includes a section on clinical trials at
http://www.cancer.gov/clinical_trials. It has general information about clinical
trials as well as detailed information about specific ongoing studies of
multiple myeloma. Information Specialists at 1-800-4-CANCER or at LiveHelp at
http://www.cancer.gov can answer questions and provide information about
clinical trials.
Next: What other resources are available to multiple
myeloma patients? »
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