What Are Relapsed and Refractory Myeloma?
What Are Relapsed and Refractory Myeloma? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.
Dr. Joshua Richter, a myeloma specialist, explains what it means to have relapsed myeloma or refractory myeloma.
Dr. Joshua Richter is director of Multiple Myeloma at the Blavatnik Family – Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai. He also serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine in The Tisch Cancer Institute, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology. Learn more about Dr. Richter, here.
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Transcript:
Katherine:
Let’s define a couple of terms that are often mentioned in myeloma care. What does it mean to be refractory, and how is that different from relapsing?
Dr. Richter:
Great question. So, these terms have very specific definitions in myeloma. “Relapsing” just means that the disease is coming back. So, you had myeloma that was measurable, you went into a remission, and now it is showing signs that it’s coming back. We call that “relapsing.” And depending upon what type of myeloma, we have specific definitions. So, if you’re IgG kappa and you make an M-spike, if your M-spike goes up at least 0.5 and at least 25 percent, we call that “relapsing.” If you’re a light chain, it’s gotta go up by at least 100. But you’ve got to make sure the units are right.
“Refractory” means that you either did not respond or you’re progressing on or within 60 days of your last treatment.
So, I put you on Revlimid maintenance, and you’re on Revlimid, and your disease gets worse. You are now relapsed and refractory to Revlimid. If I give you a transplant and then I put you on nothing, and two years later your disease comes back, you’re relapsed but not refractory.
