What is multiple myeloma? | Fortune Well

Scialfa said the cancer is the reason he has performed less, including on Springsteen’s current world tour, which continues through July 2025.

“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” Scialfa, 71, said in the film.

What is multiple myeloma?

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, which are found in the soft, spongy bone marrow in the center of the bones. It’s rare—the average lifetime risk in the U.S. is less than 1 percent (about 1 in 103 for men and 1 in 131 for women), and there are expected to be about 35,780 new cases in 2024, according to American Cancer. Society. It most commonly affects men of African descent over the age of 45, according to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), and while it can be caused by certain genetic mutations, they are not hereditary and tend to develop with age.

Healthy plasma cells produce antibodies important for immunity. But in multiple myeloma, cancer cells remove normal cells and create an abnormal antibody called M protein, high levels of which indicate malignancy, according to the MMRF. It also causes a decrease in red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, which can cause anemia, lower immunity, and lead to kidney damage. Cancer that forms a tumor or tumors can also cause bone pain and loose bone spots that can lead to fractures.

What are the signs of multiple myeloma?

Early-stage signs are vague and mimic many other problems, the MMRF notes, but can include anemia, bone damage, low immunity, decreased kidney function, and high blood calcium levels, all of which can be detected in urine and blood. tests performed by your doctor. Also indicative are elevated levels of M-protein, which are not routinely tested for and usually discovered accidentally while trying to diagnose another problem. But in the absence of other criteria, elevated M protein may indicate what is known as a precursor condition to multiple myeloma.

How is multiple myeloma treated?

While it was unclear whether Scialfa is in remission or still undergoing treatment, there are a number of ways cancer is treated. The specifics of that treatment are largely based on the stage of the disease, determined by diagnostic tests.

The initial goal is to provide symptom relief and quickly reduce the amount of myeloma cells in the body. Treatment usually begins with a multidrug regimen (including a steroid and a proteasome inhibitor), called induction therapy, for several weeks. Other possible treatments, depending on many individual factors, may include high-dose chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT), which uses the patient’s own stem cells collected from the blood.

Other treatment options may include oral immunomodulatory drugs, which affect the immune system; artificial antibodies; radiation; and immunotherapy.

What is the prognosis for a person with multiple myeloma?

As the MMRF website points out, “Just as each person is different, each multiple myeloma diagnosis is unique. Survival statistics can be informative, but they don’t give the whole picture.”

That said, the five-year relative survival rate for myeloma patients diagnosed between 2014 and 2020 is 61.1%.

Scialfa has already been living with the disease for six years. “Once in a while, I come to a show or two and I get to sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat,” she said in the film. “This is the new normal for me right now and I’m okay with that.”

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