The treatments for active multiple myeloma are:
Your treatment depends on your stage of myeloma and other information. Often, you will have a combination of a few different drugs.
MSK offers many treatments and procedures for bone pain. If you develop weak bones, these treatments can slow bone loss and help your bones that support weight.
If you have smoldering myeloma, we will monitor you for signs it’s becoming active.
Why should I choose Memorial Sloan Kettering to treat multiple myeloma?
MSK’s team of multiple myeloma experts
Our multiple myeloma team is among the most experienced in the country.
- Each year, we treat about 400 people who were just diagnosed multiple myeloma or a related plasma cell disease.
- We also care for another 200 to 300 people with multiple myeloma that came back after treatment.
The latest multiple myeloma treatments
About 1 in 4 people with multiple myeloma have a type that’s aggressive and comes back very fast. MSK doctors are trying to find better treatments for people at high risk for multiple myeloma. Several new multiple myeloma drugs have been developed since 2000.
Experts on smoldering multiple myeloma and MGUS
People who have MGUS or smoldering myeloma don’t have symptoms. MSK experts are looking at whether we can stop these conditions with changes in nutrition and the microbiome.
Some people with MGUS or smoldering myeloma are at high risk for getting active myeloma. MSK is researching whether treatment can delay symptoms, such as broken bones or kidney failure.
The latest multiple myeloma research and clinical trials
MSK researches and tests new treatments for multiple myeloma.
We lead one of 3 national myeloma groups, working with the leading experts on multiple myeloma. Our work at a national level means MSK can offer you access to some of the country’s most important multiple myeloma research.
Learn more about the latest treatments.
Our doctors are known nationally for their research on new treatments for multiple myeloma. Sometimes these studies offer therapies years before they’re available anywhere else. MSK patients can join our research studies, also known as clinical trials, to access these new treatments for multiple myeloma.
Convenient locations
You can visit MSK myeloma team experts closer to home, not just in Manhattan. We offer the same outstanding care from MSK doctors at our locations in:
- Manhattan
- Brooklyn: Boerum Hill and Flatbush
- Long Island: Commack
- New Jersey: Basking Ridge, Bergen, and Monmouth
- Westchester County: West Harrison
Chemotherapy and other drugs for multiple myeloma
Several multiple myeloma treatments use drugs, including:
- Proteasome inhibitors
- Immune-modulating drugs
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Monoclonal antibodies
MSK also is researching new therapies, including:
- Bispecific antibodies that bind to 2 different antigens at the same time.
- Treatments that target specific genetic changes (mutations and variants).
Learn more about treating multiple myeloma with drugs and chemotherapy.
Stem cell transplants for multiple myeloma
A stem cell transplant is when we replace your stem cells by infusing (putting in) new, healthy cells into your bloodstream. This procedure also is called a bone marrow transplant.
Multiple myeloma immunotherapy and CAR T cell therapy
Immunotherapy uses several kinds of treatments, including:
- Monoclonal antibodies
- Antibody drug conjugates (ADC)
- Bispecific antibodies
- Immune modifying drugs (IMIDS)
- CAR T cell therapy
MSK offers chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy to treat relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Relapsed means the cancer has come back soon after treatment. Refractory means the treatment stopped working.
Treating and managing multiple myeloma bone pain
Multiple myeloma can cause many problems with your bones. Bone pain can be caused by a bone fracture or a tumor pressing against a nerve. Some people feel multiple myeloma bone pain at night, when they shift position in bed.
MSK has treatments that slow bone loss and help your bones support your weight. Our experts in pain control will help you manage your bone pain. We offer bone-modifying agents to slow bone loss. These are drugs that strengthen bones and prevent fractures.
Follow-up care for multiple myeloma
After your treatment, your care team will monitor you for any signs the cancer has come back. They also will help manage side effects from your treatment.
Your follow-up care team will continue to support you by:
- Helping you have a faster recovery.
- Helping you manage side effects.
- Closely monitoring your overall health.
- Making sure you stay cancer free.
- Checking for symptoms, such as bone pain or infections.
Your follow-up care includes regular blood tests, and bone scans to monitor bone health. These tests can find signs the disease is getting worse or spreading, such as:
- Rising immunoglobulin protein levels in your blood or urine (pee).
- Abnormal white or red blood cell counts.
- Damaged bones.
Your tests may show the multiple myeloma is getting worse. If so, your doctor may change treatments or add a new way to control the disease and related problems.
Tell your care team right away about pain and any new symptoms. It’s important to assess these symptoms so we can start treatment soon.
