“I won’t go around it: I discovered that I have a sweet-sounding neoplasm: myeloma, but no less insidious for this ». With these words entrusted to the social channels of him, the composer Giovanni Allevi last weekend he announced he had multiple myeloma, a neoplasia of the blood which every year sees 5000 new cases in Italy.
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An announcement arrived a few hours after the National day for the fight against leukemia, lymphomas and myelomawhich is celebrated today, June 21st. Promoted byAIL, Italian Association against Leukemia under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic, it aims to raise awareness of certainly important pathologies, but which in recent years have been affected by notable progress in the effectiveness of treatments, able to increasingly lean towards positive epilogues . To tell them to Vanity Fair, Maria Teresa Petrucci, medical director of Hematology at the Umberto I Polyclinic in Rome.
What is the multiple myeloma that Giovanni Allevi suffers from?
“It is a cancer affecting a type of bone marrow cellthe plasma cellswhich usually produce the antibodies that defend us from infections in percentages of 3-4%, but which, due to myeloma, start an overproduction that can even reach 60-70%, giving rise to an altered and dangerous immunoglobulin. It usually affects people over 70 but in recent years there have been more and more cases of younger patients, mainly in their fifties as the composer pianist. Even if men are slightly more affected than women, there is no substantial difference at present the causes leading to myeloma are unknown“.
How do you know you have it?
“Generally i patients they ask their doctor why they cannot walk, they do it with difficulty and are pervaded by a very important fatigue. Also bone pain and brittleness they can be a wake-up call but it is essential not to confuse them with osteoarthritis or other age-related ailments. To avoid alarmism it is important to say that obviously not all bone pain is synonymous with myeloma but if they do not pass or with the movements they increase it is good to investigate with radiographs or CT scans that identify the presence of any specific lesions, typical of this pathology “.
Are there specific tests that can detect it?
«Being a blood disease, some anomalies such as anemia or malfunction of the kidneyswhich can be a sign of the presence of a myeloma, but in case of doubt the specific analysis to be performed is theelectrophoresis, which is used to measure the quality and quantity of proteins in the blood. Even the urine they can reveal it, in particular through the 24-hour proteinuriawhich reveals any high amounts of protein in them ».
Can myeloma be cured?
“Unfortunately not to date, even if the numerous advances made in recent years with regard to treatment give hope that things will change in the near future. At present, however, we speak of a chronic disease whose care they are oriented to keep the evolutions under control.
What do they consist of?
«It depends on the age, even if in general there is more and more talk of immunotherapy and less than chemotherapy.
In younger people, usually under 70, the main part involves the stem cell transplant taken from the same patient’s peripheral blood through a procedure called apheresis, technically similar to dialysis. After a chemotherapy treatment which serves to try to cleanse the organism of altered cells, the stem cells, previously frozen, are injected back into the marrow, where they begin to proliferate and reproduce healthy blood cells. Being a self transplant there is no risk of rejection. Before these steps there is a preparatory and after a maintenance phase, both based on new generation drugs.
For the Older people instead, the transplant could involve more risks than benefits so the path chosen is that of innovative pharmacological treatments orally or by injection under the skin or intravenous ».
What do you feel like saying to those who, like Giovanni Allevi, have recently received a diagnosis of myeloma?
“To be optimistic. Obviously it is a serious disease that must be attacked, but by turning to the many specialized centers present throughout Italy it is possible to deal with it in the best way and keep it monitored. Each case is unique, but if there are no bone lesions or if they resolve, it is possible after the necessary treatments live a very normal life even for many years “.
Today throughout the day it will be AIL special toll-free number is active – Haematological problems 800 22 65 24to which eight hematologists and a pool of other specialists will answer any doubts and offer advice on the disease and on the treatment centers throughout the country.
Other stories of Vanity Fair that may interest you:
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Giovanni Allevi, between music and dance: the preview video of “Kiss me again”
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Source: Vanity Fair
