FIGHT MULTIPLE MYELOMA: HOW RADIOLOGY EXPERTS HELPED A PATIENT FROM LUHANSK

A year and a half ago, Galina Semyonovna began experiencing severe bone pain. Doctors in Luhansk suspected multiple myeloma – a complex blood cancer in which a tumor process affects the blood-forming cells within the bone marrow-based on CT scan results. Both the disease and its treatment are highly aggressive.

To confirm the diagnosis, Galina was referred to Rostov-on-Don, where a bone biopsy and PET scan (a specialized imaging study that provides a 3D view of a person’s internal organs and tissues while assessing their functional state) confirmed the diagnosis. The first line of chemotherapy was started, bringing positive results as the pathological clones were eliminated. It seemed a victory was at hand. However, this was only the first step in a challenging journey, as science shows that disease is highly likely to return. Galina now faced the next phase.

“The bone marrow is known as the ‘incubator’ of blood. It contains special cells that produce blood,” explains Dr. Maria Vernyuk, head of the High-Dose Chemotherapy Department at the P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of the “National Medical Research Radiological Centre” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. “Myeloma affects these cells specifically. Even after a successful initial course of chemotherapy and remission, a relapse eventually occurs. To help patients delay this recurrence as long as possible, we use high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation, which we performed in our department.”

This method involves collecting the patient’s blood, isolating, and freezing the stem cells. The patient is then hospitalized to undergo high-dose chemotherapy. A high-concentration chemotherapy medication is infused into the blood, eradicating any remaining tumor cells in the bone marrow. Afterward, the preserved “clean” stem cells are injected through a vein to produce new blood and populate the body.

“This procedure is complex, with many restrictions and risks,” explains Galina’s physician, Dr. Irina Cherkashina, hematologist at the P. Hertsen MORI. “Patient age, chronic condition status, and absence of serious infections are all critical factors. During transplantation, blood counts – including leukocytes, platelets, erythrocytes, and hemoglobin – drop to critical levels, and the success of the operation largely depends on the body itself and its determination to overcome the disease. In Galina’s case, the body’s recovery of blood-forming functions was very quick and successful.”