Scientists at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center are gaining ground on one of the most lethal of cancers, multiple myeloma.
When Dr. Philip McCarthy began to work in multiple myeloma cancer research in 1985, the median survival rate for those with the disease was three years. That means half are alive after three years.
Now, it's half alive after 10 years.
Major work in gene research and vast amounts of data winnowed through bioinformatics are giving clues that many different genes are behind many different bone tumors. The emeritus professor of Oncology and Internal Medicine said researchers are using their work to ask different questions about the disease.
McCarthy said it remains difficult because multiple myeloma hits different groups differently.
"There's a higher incidence of myeloma. It was initially thought it was a more disease. But I think with access to the appropriate therapy, it can be very well controlled," he said. "But we don't understand why it's more common in Black folks than in Caucasian people. And we also know there's more men than women who are affected by this disease. And, again, it's something that we're not quite sure."
McCarthy said a big change is a major increase in the drugs that can be used against the disease.
"I graduated medical school in 1982 and I finished my residency in '85 and started my fellowship back then," he said. "And we had essentially like three or four drugs to treat multiple myeloma. Now we have over 20."
The work of multiple myeloma researchers is also having significant insight into other cancers because of the genes involved.
