Dr. Joe Mikhael:
What are bone-strengthening drugs, and why do some myeloma patients need them? Hi, everyone. Dr. Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, and I'm going to break down bone-strengthening drugs in less than a minute.
The vast majority of patients with multiple myeloma do have bone involvement of their disease. This is really a sentinel part of myeloma. It may be just a slight thinning of the bone, or it may be an actual fracture. Either way, the bones are affected by myeloma, and the way we keep our bones strong are affected by myeloma.
So in addition to being treated for the myeloma itself, we very often add to that a bone-strengthening drug so that our bones remain strong. This is given in different ways, and there are different kinds of agents, but it's really important that we both control the disease but also help bolster someone's bone strength to reduce the risk of other fractures in the future. For more information about myeloma, or if you have personal questions related to your own or a loved one's diagnosis, please visit us at myeloma.org.




