The methods used to treat multiple myeloma are very powerful.
Treatment can help patients feel better by relieving symptoms such as bone pain.
However, it is hard to limit the effects of therapy so that only cancer cells are destroyed. Because healthy cells also may be damaged, treatment can cause unpleasant side effects. The side effects that patients have during cancer treatment vary for each person. They may even be different from one treatment to the next. Doctors try to plan treatment to keep side effects to a minimum.