MULTIPLE MYELOMA

A 48-year-old bed-ridden male patient, suffering from multiple myeloma with recurrent-urinary infection came to us in June 2006. His disease progressed from solitary plasmacytoma to multiple myeloma over a period of three years. During this period, he received various cycles of chemotherapy and pelvic radiation. He was also operated upon for fracture of neck femur. His IgG was 4500 mg/dL at that time. Bone scan revealed multiple active sites all along the spine and pelvic girdle. His performance status was poor and there were no active regimes of chemotherapy available at that stage. We started giving him Dendritic cell cancer vaccine manufactured using his M band protein content as antigen processed in our lab. He received eight doses of DC cancer vaccines till September of 2007. For the last one year, he was able to walk a few steps, take bath on his own, and his performance status had improved. His recent bone scan indicated regression of disease. There was benefit both, in survival and quality of life. The patient ceases to survive.