Understanding the blood cancer disease Patti Scialfa is living with
In recent years there have been no shortage of serious health challenges in the Bruce Springsteen household.
In September 2023, the legendary rocker was forced to cancel multiple tour dates because he was suffering from peptic ulcer disease.
As he said on SiriusXM radio at the time, “Let me take a moment and thank my fans affected by our postponed shows for their understanding. I am deeply sorry but this belly thing, despite my ability to laugh at it, has been a monster and is still unfortunately rocking my internal world.”
He wouldn’t return to performing until the spring.
And last month we learned that Springsteen’s wife (and member of the E Street Band), Patti Scialfa, has been living for years with multiple myeloma since her 2018 diagnosis.
Scialfa, 71, spoke about her condition in the new documentary “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band,” which debuted in September at the Toronto Film Festival. In the film, Scialfa explained why she has had to step back from performing.
“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she said in the film. “Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat. That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that.”
What to know about multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a relatively rare blood cancer that affects plasma cells, which are white blood cells and part of your immune system.
Plasma cells (also known as B-cells) make antibodies. These antibodies, called immunoglobulins, help fight infection.
Multiple myeloma happens when healthy cells turn into abnormal cells that multiply and produce abnormal antibodies called M proteins. This change starts a cascade of medical issues and conditions that can affect your bones, your kidneys and your body’s ability to make healthy white and red blood cells and platelets.
Around 30,000 people are diagnosed annually in the U.S. with the disease, and it typically affects men more often than women.
According to Dr. Chakra Chaulagain, director of the multiple myeloma program at Cleveland Clinic Weston, “Multiple myeloma patients usually present with bone pain or back pain and blood counts may show anemia. In addition, blood chemistry evaluation may show high calcium levels and abnormal kidney function. Bone damage and kidney damage are frequently seen in patients with multiple myeloma. So X-rays, MRIs and PET scans are frequently included in the diagnostic process to evaluate for evidence of bone damage.”
He also notes that “immunodeficiency is associated with the disease, which makes patients susceptible to various infections, including pneumonia.”
Treatments for the disease
When diagnosed early enough in an otherwise healthy person, multiple myeloma can often be treated as a chronic condition via medication.
One high-profile example is 84-year-old former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw — who was diagnosed at age 73 in 2013.
“My doctors didn’t think I’d make it to 83,” he told “CBS Sunday Morning” last year while promoting his book “Never Give Up: A Prairie Family’s Story.”
Scialfa didn’t disclose what treatment(s) she’s been undergoing; but some options, says Chaulagain, include the following:
- Pain medications: People often have significant bone pain, so pain relief is vital.
- Antibiotics: A weakened immune system can lead to more infections so doctors often have to prescribe antibiotics to clear up these infections.
- Steroids: High doses of steroids can both kill cancer cells and help reduce inflammation.
- Chemotherapy: When warranted, oncologists prescribe chemotherapy to reduce the number of abnormal plasma cells.
- Immunotherapy: This form of treatment stimulates your immune system so that it develops more cancer-fighting cells.
- Radiation therapy: This treatment kills cancer cells and reduces bone tumors.
Another effective treatment option is autologous stem cell transplantation.
“Autologous stem cell transplantation is often an option for patients who are younger than 75 years old and fit, meaning they don’t have significant heart or kidney conditions,” says Chaulagain. “Patients who undergo autologous stem cell transplantation in addition to initial chemoimmunotherapy and subsequent post-transplant maintenance therapy have improved survival compared to patients who do not undergo autologous stem cell transplantation. This is one of the strategies to restore immune function compromised by multiple myeloma.”
In addition, two new chemoimmunotherapy drugs — daratumumab and isatuximab — that specifically target multiple myeloma were approved by the FDA in 2021, giving doctors and patients another efficacious weapon in their battle again the disease.
Chaulagain can’t speak highly enough about what these drugs have meant for his patients.
“These medications have revolutionized the way we treat multiple myeloma today for patients of all ages,” said Chaulagain. “That’s because they cause minimal side effects and they’re extremely effective. With these treatments being so tolerable, they have little or no impact on a patient’s quality of life.”
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