Radiation Therapy for Multiple Myeloma

Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. It is sometimes used as part of treatment for multiple myeloma.

When might radiation therapy be used to treat multiple myeloma?

Radiation may be used to treat areas of bone damaged by myeloma that have not responded to medicines and are causing pain or may be near breaking. It’s also the most common treatment for solitary plasmacytomas.

If myeloma severely weakens the bones in your spine, these bones might collapse and put pressure on your spinal cord and spinal nerves. This is known as spinal cord compression. It is a medical emergency, and prompt treatment with radiation therapy and/or surgery is often needed to prevent long-term paralysis.

Symptoms of spinal cord compression might include a sudden change in sensation (such as numbness or tingling), sudden weakness of leg muscles, or sudden problems with urination or moving the bowels.

How is radiation therapy given for multiple myeloma?

External beam radiation therapy is the type of radiation therapy most often used to treat multiple myeloma or solitary plasmacytoma. For this treatment, radiation is aimed at the cancer from a machine outside the body.

Before your treatment starts, your radiation team will take careful measurements to find the correct angles for aiming the radiation beams and the proper dose of radiation. This planning session, called simulation, usually includes getting imaging tests such as CT or MRI scans.

The number of radiation treatments you have will depend on the reason it's being given. The treatment is much like getting an x-ray, but the radiation is stronger. The procedure itself is painless. Each treatment lasts only a few minutes, although the setup time (getting you into place for treatment) usually takes longer.

What are the side effects of radiation therapy?

Side effects of radiation depend on where the radiation is aimed. They can include:

• Skin changes in the area being treated, ranging from redness to blistering and peeling
• Fatigue (feeling very tired)
• Nausea
• Diarrhea (if your belly or pelvis is being treated)
• Low blood counts

These symptoms tend to improve shortly after treatment is over.