Understanding Relapse and Remission

Learning that your multiple myeloma has relapsed may feel discouraging. Understanding relapse and knowing what to expect can help make the process easier.

If your doctor tells you that you’ve relapsed, it means that your multiple myeloma has come back.

The course of multiple myeloma

Relapse is not your fault. Relapse is a natural part of living with multiple myeloma. If you experience a relapse, it’s important to remember that you did not do anything wrong. Most patients eventually experience a relapse, and may even experience more than one. The good news is that many medical advances have been made in recent years. People with multiple myeloma now have more treatment options than ever.

What is remission?

If treatment is successful, you may reach remission. Remission means that your multiple myeloma is stable. Patients may experience multiple periods of remission over the course of their disease. It’s important to understand that remission is not the same as being cured.

While there is no cure for multiple myeloma, many treatment options are available. New treatments are being studied all the time. If one treatment stops working, you and your doctor can work together to decide what type of treatment to try next >