I just read a really interesting article published by the Mayo Clinic called Treatment of Myeloma: Cure vs Control. The article talks about the big debate in myeloma treatment: Is it better to go with the big, heavy-duty treatment to try to get that zero M-spike? Or should you treat the disease as a chronic, manageable condition with as little treatment as possible? Mayo leans toward the chronic approach, unless you have a really aggressive form of myeloma.
Here was the best part (and if you're not a myeloma nerd, "monoclonal protein" is the same as "M-spike"): " ... a small monoclonal protein (minimal residual disease) is not in itself clinically important and is commonly present in the general population in the form of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. In many patients, reduction of myeloma to a state similar to monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (near-CR or very good partial response) may be all that is required for best long-term survival."
That's me! My M-spike is not clinically important! I blend in with the general population! Woo hoo!
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