Argumentative Essay On Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer, but if developed it is extremely hard to fight. It is the second most common blood cancer in adults, but in 2015 only 2% of cancer cases were multiple myeloma. The first documented case of multiple myeloma was in 1844. There have been hundreds of thousands of cases since then and there are constant improvements being made on treatments for this currently incurable cancer. Stem cell transplants have become a standard treatment for multiple myeloma patients, but because patients who receive an autologous stem cell transplant typically live longer without progression of the disease than those who only have chemotherapy, stem cell transplants continue to be the best option in treatment for multiple myeloma. Although multiple myeloma is a rare cancer, it still affects thousands of people in the United …show more content…
A description of this cancer from Myeloma Central explains, “Multiple myeloma (MM) is a chronic (long-lasting) and progressive (worsening over time) disease that requires a long-term plan to help manage it”. The 5-year survival rate of multiple myeloma is 49%, meaning that 49% of patients live for at least 5 years after the cancer is found. The disease also grows worse over time, making it extremely difficult to deal with the longer it progresses. Another way multiple myeloma is described is from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (or MMRF) which says “Multiple myeloma is a hematological (blood) cancer that develops in the plasma cells found in the soft, spongy tissue at the center of your bones, called bone marrow”. Multiple myeloma is categorized as a blood cancer because it develops in the plasma cells found in the bone marrow, which is where blood cells are produced. This also means that when the cancer grows, it attacks the bones themselves and breaks them down causing the patient extreme pain.