My hematologist has patients at 15 years with no relapse. Im into year 6.
November 9, 2025 (edited)
How long can someone stay in remission before their first relapse, and what happens after retreatment?
The time before first relapse varies significantly from person to person. While some people relapse within the first year after initial treatment, others can remain in remission for several years. Around 50 percent of Show Full Answer
How long can someone stay in remission before their first relapse, and what happens after retreatment?
The time before first relapse varies significantly from person to person. While some people relapse within the first year after initial treatment, others can remain in remission for several years. Around 50 percent of people relapse within about 27 months of completing first-line therapy.
Most people with myeloma respond well to their first-line therapy for around two or three years before experiencing a relapse. However, there's a subset of patients who achieve long-term remission, which is the ideal scenario.
After the first relapse and retreatment, you can expect periods of response to new medications followed by subsequent relapses. The pattern typically continues with multiple treatment cycles throughout your journey with myeloma.
If you relapse more than six months after trying a treatment, your doctor may recommend using that same therapy again. If relapse happens within six months, a different approach is usually needed.
As a MyMyelomaTeam member who has dealt with multiple relapses shared, it's important to stay on treatments as long as they're working to keep future options open, even if side effects are challenging.
November 2, 2025
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