Multiple Myeloma Prognosis: An Introduction

People facing multiple myeloma are naturally concerned about what the future holds. Understanding multiple myeloma and what to expect can help patients and their loved ones:

 

 

Multiple Myeloma Prognosis: What Is a Prognosis?

A prognosis is a medical opinion as to the likely course and outcome of a disease. In other words, the prognosis is the chance that a patient will recover or have a recurrence (return of the cancer). Many factors affect a person's cancer prognosis, including:

 

• The type and location of the cancer

 

• The stage of the disease (the extent to which the cancer has metastasized, or spread)

 

• Its grade (how abnormal the cancer cells look and how quickly the cancer is likely to grow and spread)

 

• The person's age, general health, and response to treatment.

 

When doctors consider a person's multiple myeloma prognosis, they carefully weigh all of the factors that could affect that person's disease and treatment, and then try to predict what might happen. The doctor will base the multiple myeloma prognosis on information researchers have collected over many years about hundreds, or even thousands, of people with cancer. When possible, the doctor will use statistics based on groups of people whose situations are most similar to that of an individual patient. The doctor may speak of a favorable multiple myeloma prognosis if the cancer is likely to respond well to treatment. The multiple myeloma prognosis may be unfavorable if the cancer is likely to be difficult to control. However, it is important to keep in mind that a prognosis is only a prediction; even the doctor cannot be absolutely certain about the outcome for a particular patient.