My 89 year old dad has been diagnosed with myeloma. He has had one round of velcade. What would the life expectancy be for someone of this age. One minute he seems ok the next he isn’t. I am finding it really difficult to cope with.
Myeloma is a very varied condition - some is high risk, the majority medium risk and responses vary. Prognosis has improved four fold since velcade and other new "novel" treatments approval and the quoted 5-8 years is an average - many live much longer. Conventional wisdom is it's followed by intensive chemo and stem cell rescue in younger patients and older get less aggressive treatment - but my wife had VTD only, declined stem cell, and has been in remission for four years since. That your dad is getting velcade at 89 suggests he is otherwise very well and fit. Do not fear - these are now very effective treatments. Instead think what he is coping with and perhaps thats why he is up and down.
