Hello
The complicated answer is yes and no. Yes, it works for some, no it doesn’t work for others. That’s one of the horrible things about MM. But on the whole it is a good drug. If your brother is worried that he has not been offered chemo with it, then perhaps a call to his consultant to find out his/her thinking would set his, and your, mind at ease.
There are a few ways of treating this disease, and most doctors will try to find the best way for a particular patient, within what NICE allow them to do. Perhaps they felt that as the chemo element of the treatment is or can be quite brutal, they would see if they can get away without it initially.
My understanding is that Velcade works best in combination with steroids, and the chemo is an added weapon, but if you need to drop one, then drop the chemo.
My husband is the MM patient. He had CTD first, and then at relapse got VCD. It worked very well, so that he got to drop the chemo part way through cycle 3, and is not on velcade for as long as possible until the allowed doses run out. The MM is undetectable at present, and we hope that the Velcade will keep it that way longer than if he stopped taking it.
Good luck to your brother. Perhaps if you or he does not want to call the consultant, you could speak to one of the nurses on the infoline here. I haven’t had to use them myself, but everyone who has has said how wonderful they are.
