Myeloma treatment aims and types

• Treatment for myeloma aims to get you into remission and manage any symptoms or problems.
• There are many ways to treat myeloma, including targeted drugs, chemotherapy and stem cell transplants.
• You may be able to join a clinical trial and try a new drug or combination of drugs that isn’t available as standard.

Treatment for myeloma (multiple myeloma) has two main aims:

• to bring you into remission (or stable phase), where there are few or no myeloma cells left in your body
• to manage the effects of myeloma such as bone and kidney damage and improve your quality of life.

Myeloma almost always comes back on or after treatment. But there are lots of treatments available for relapsed myeloma.

There are many treatment options for people with active myeloma. These are called lines of treatment.

Your first line of treatment is likely to be a combination of drugs. It will aim to kill as many myeloma cells as possible. You may then have a stem cell transplant. This involves high doses of chemotherapy, followed by an infusion (drip) of healthy stem cells.

When the myeloma comes back, you will have another line of treatment. And another the next time, and so on.

Read our information on the different lines of treatment for myeloma that has come back.

A clinical trial is a research study involving people. If there is one available, your consultant might suggest you join it.

Clinical trials are done for several reasons. These include developing new treatments, testing new drug combinations and improving existing ones. There are clinical trials for all stages of myeloma, whether you were diagnosed recently or have had several treatments.

Taking part in a clinical trial has advantages. For example, you may be able to have a new treatment that isn’t available outside of a trial. You’ll also be monitored very closely before and after your treatment.

But trials do come with uncertainties, and you may prefer not to take part. Whether you join a clinical trial is entirely your choice. You can also drop out at any point, even if you have started treatment.

If you don't want to be in a trial, or there isn’t a suitable trial, you'll have the best standard treatment that's right for you.

We have more information about clinical trials. Our Clinical Trials Support Service can also help you find a suitable clinical trial and understand what’s involved.

There are many drugs approved to treat myeloma. You will normally have a combination of drugs that work in different ways to kill the myeloma cells.

Treatments for myeloma have changed a lot in recent years. Many are now targeted drugs that are safer for healthy cells. Read more about our research on myeloma.

Inhibitors are targeted drugs that block the signals that make cancer cells grow. Inhibitors used to treat myeloma include:

• bortezomib
• carfilzomib
• ixazomib
• panobinostat
• selinexor.

Monoclonal antibodies are targeted drugs that bind to proteins on the surface of myeloma cells. This helps your immune system to recognise and kill the myeloma cells. Monoclonal antibodies that are used to treat myeloma include:

• daratumumab
• isatuximab.

Bispecific antibodies are targeted drugs that bind to both myeloma cells and your immune cells at the same time. This helps to bring the myeloma and immune cells together, so the myeloma cells are more likely to be killed. Bispecific antibodies that are used to treat myeloma include:

• teclistamab
• elranatamab
• talquetamab.

Antibody-drug conjugates are targeted drugs made up of two different types of drug joined together. There is one antibody-drug conjugate used to treat myeloma in the UK:

• belantamab mafodotin.

Belantamab mafodotin is a monoclonal antibody joined to a cancer-killing drug. The antibody (belantamab) binds to myeloma cells and the cancer-killing drug (mafodotin) is then released to kill them.

Immunomodulators are targeted drugs that stop the growth of myeloma cells and help your own immune system to attack them. Immunomodulators include:

• thalidomide
• lenalidomide
• pomalidomide.

Chemotherapy drugs work by stopping myeloma cells dividing and growing. Chemotherapy drugs used to treat myeloma include:

• cyclophosphamide
• melphalan.

Steroids help to kill myeloma cells and work together with other drugs. They also reduce swelling (inflammation) and can help to prevent and treat side effects from some other drugs. Steroids used to treat myeloma include:

• dexamethasone
• prednisolone.

Read more about first line treatment for myeloma and treatment for relapsed myeloma.

All the cells in our body come from parent cells called stem cells. A blood stem cell transplant aims to put healthy stem cells back into your body so you can make normal blood cells.

There are two main types of stem cell transplant:

• auto (autologous or autograft) – this uses your own stem cells
• allo (allogeneic or allograft) – this uses stem cells from another person (donor).

Most transplants in people with myeloma are auto transplants. Occasionally an allo stem cell transplant might be an option for fitter people with a fast-growing type of myeloma.

An auto transplant is a way of giving stronger chemotherapy to keep you in remission for longer. The aim is to kill any myeloma cells that are left.

If your doctors recommend an auto transplant, they will collect healthy stem cells from your blood. This will happen while you are in remission.

You’ll then usually have a chemotherapy drug called melphalan to kill the remaining myeloma cells. Finally, you’ll have a drip (IV infusion) to return your healthy stem cells to your body.

This information has been accredited with the PIF TICK, the UK's only quality mark for trusted health information.

Last full review May 2026. Next full review due May 2029. We may make factual updates between reviews.

Thank you to Consultant Haematologist Dr Emma Searle and Clinical Nurse Specialist Amie Martin for checking the clinical accuracy of our myeloma information. Thanks also to Cecelia, Craig, Joan, Kaleigh, Kerry, Louise, Mart, Sandra, Scott for supporting this project and sharing their experience of living with myeloma.