With phase III chemotherapy for multiple myeloma, the median survival is about 6 months to 3 years, and the disease course is highly heterogeneous.
Multiple myeloma is a malignant clonal proliferative disease of plasma cells, and treatment remains chemotherapy-based.
Conventional chemotherapy is 40% to 60% effective, with a complete remission (CR) rate of less than 5%, and stage III multiple myeloma is an advanced disease. The median survival of patients with progressive disease without treatment is only 6 months, and even with conventional chemotherapy, the median survival does not exceed 3 years.
Specific survival is related to individual differences, severity of symptoms, and treatment modalities. The deeper the depth of initial remission, the later the time to late relapse the longer the survival.
Patients with multiple myeloma are advised to actively cooperate with their doctors for treatment in order to strive for a good survival expectation.