Stem cells + chemo clears cancer but at a cost

In 10 seconds? Cancer specialists are actively testing out combinations of treatments to improve patient survival outcomes. Data from a study testing out chemotherapy plus stem cell transplantation for myeloma patients are making specialists question if less is more.

Back up, what is myeloma? It is a type of blood cancer. Our blood is a liquid organ that consists of many different types of cells. As is the case for other cancers, our blood cells can develop mutations that cause them to grow uncontrollably, forming dangerous tumors in our bloodstream or lymph vessels (the 'veins' of your immune system). Unlike other cancers in solid organs, however, our blood cells can be killed off and regrown without lethal implications in a process called autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).