Multiple myeloma: progress in management aimed at improving QoL

Abstract

Despite the major recent strides achieved in myeloma treatment owing to the implementation of new anti-myeloma agents, bone destruction is still a leading cause of deterioration in quality of life (QoL) for affected patients. With improvement of survival, bone management will become more important for maintaining QoL especially in elderly patients; novel treatment modalities with bone anabolic activity are highly anticipated, as a means of restoring bone in bone destructive lesions as well as from the aspect of preventing bone destruction with currently available anti-resorptive agents. Long-term management of myeloma bone disease in the era of these new agents and a perspective on the development of new bone modifying agents will be discussed.