It's wonderful to hear that you've achieved remission — that's a really significant milestone, and your treatment plan with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (commonly called VRd) is a well-established and effective combination for myeloma.
While no one can predict exactly how long remission will last for any Show Full Answer
It's wonderful to hear that you've achieved remission — that's a really significant milestone, and your treatment plan with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (commonly called VRd) is a well-established and effective combination for myeloma.
While no one can predict exactly how long remission will last for any individual, here's what the data generally suggests for people in a similar situation:
- On average, people who don't have a stem cell transplant and use triplet therapy like yours tend to stay in remission for around 4 years
- Those who do have an early transplant average around 5.5 years of remission, though overall survival rates are similar between both groups
- Staying on maintenance therapy (often lenalidomide) can extend remission significantly Since you're not on a stem cell transplant path, your oncologist may discuss maintenance therapy to help keep the myeloma under control longer. Research shows that lenalidomide maintenance after initial treatment can keep myeloma in remission for around 57 months post-transplant, and likely offers meaningful benefit without transplant too.
A few positive signs in your situation:
- You responded well to first-line treatment
- You're having regular blood work monitoring every 3 months — that's great practice
- You're not experiencing major side effects
The mild back pain is worth keeping your oncologist informed about, as bone involvement is common with myeloma and worth monitoring. The most important thing is to stay closely connected with your oncologist, stick to any prescribed maintenance plan, and keep up with your follow-up appointments. The longer you stay in remission, generally the better the outlook.
You're doing all the right things — keep it up! 💪
July 13
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