Untreated, it can be fatal. However, any doctor will tell you that you need surgery. With surgery and antibiotics, the prospects for a full recovery are excellent. With multiple myeloma, the situation is more difficult. There is no known cure.
Doctors have many approaches to help myeloma patients live better and longer.
As a result, people with myeloma can sometimes live for decades. There remains much controversy about how to treat the disease. The course of treatment is very much dependent on the specifics of the patient's physical, emotional and family situation. Because there is no known cure, treatments need to be viewed in terms of how long they are able to control the disease or relieve symptoms and how they affect the patient's quality of life For some treatments, there is not enough experience with patients to know what to expect. Patients, families and doctors may have different perspectives about what constitutes acceptable risk.