For those who have multiple myeloma, treatment can improve the quality of a patient's life by controlling the symptoms and complications of the disease. People who have multiple myeloma but do not have symptoms of the disease usually do not receive treatment. For these patients, the risks and side effects of treatment are likely to outweigh the possible benefits. However, these patients are watched closely, and they begin treatment when symptoms appear. Patients who need treatment for multiple myeloma usually receive chemotherapy and sometimes radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer.
It is the main treatment for multiple myeloma. Doctors may prescribe two or more drugs that work together to kill myeloma cells. Either way, the drugs travel through the bloodstream, reaching myeloma cells all over the body. For this reason, chemotherapy is called systemic therapy. Most patients take their chemotherapy at home, as outpatients at the hospital, or at the doctor's office.