This issue of Myeloma Today is sponsored in part by an
unrestricted educational grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
When analyzing the challenges of multiple myeloma and the
effects of this disease on the lifestyles of patients, it is
important to consider all of the surrounding implications of the
illness. Not only can multiple myeloma disrupt life with its
many emotional, physical, and psychological burdens, but the
most common treatments likely will cause a variety of unpleasant
side effects. There are strategies, however, that you can adopt
in order to help you deal with these side effects. Chemotherapy
is the most widely used treatment for multiple myeloma. Designed
to target and destroy cancer cells over a period of time,
chemotherapy drugs also often destroy healthy cells. Normal
cells that divide the fastest have the highest risk of damage;
these are found primarily in hair follicles and the digestive
tract. The resulting ill effects such as nausea, vomiting, and
hair loss typically are discussed in