Supportive Therapy in Multiple Myeloma: Practical Recommendations

Abstract

Supportive therapy is becoming increasingly important for the state-of-the-art algorithm of multiple myeloma (MM) treatment. The introduction of innovative drugs and transplantation methods into clinical practice considerably improved the disease-free and overall survival rates. However, in the vast majority of cases, MM still remains an incurable malignant plasma cell tumor. It is often treated on a continuous basis with a succession of targeted drugs and integration of glucocorticosteroids and conventional cytostatic agents into the program therapy. All of these together with immunodeficiency, bone lesions, and myeloma nephropathy lead to a high risk of adverse events and cumulative toxicity of treatment. At the same time, one of the main goals at all MM therapy stages is to maintain quality of life. The characteristics of clinical symptoms, the nuances of targeted therapy and chemotherapy-associated adverse events justify the need for further development of supportive MM therapy algorithms which remain to be a matter of current concern. They should be mainly aimed at preventing the therapy complications, reducing the rate of adverse events and clinical manifestations of side effects as well as developing a treatment strategy for cumulative toxicity. In the state-of-the-art algorithm of program MM treatment, supportive therapy-related knowledge is of no less value than the information on antitumor drugs and their efficacy. This paper reports the personal experience and provides recommendations mostly based on the results of clinical studies or views of expert panels. It also offers practical recommendations for supportive therapy in symptomatic MM which include prevention of skeletal complications, thromboses, and infections, nausea and vomiting management, vaccination, pre-medication and the algorithm of monoclonal antibody administration, anesthesia, peripheral polyneuropathy treatment, correction of secondary immunodeficiency, nutritional support, fatigue assessment and countermeasures.