Internal myeloma: Early surgery helps to live long, less disabled!

Myeloma is a disease that is increasingly detected. However, most patients (patients) were found when the disease was in the late stage, so the level of disability and the ability to survive is not much .

In 2000, BN Pham Ba T. (22 years old, Rach Gia, Kien Giang) went to Cho Ray Hospital (BV) for medical examination and was hospitalized by doctors (BS) for pain in his left hand. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results show that patients with myeloma and BS suggest surgery. The patient agreed, but when he changed the surgery table, he changed his mind without surgery. Patients continued to monitor the disease situation in Cho Ray Hospital continuously for three years.

Delayed delays: many complications

One year after refusing surgery, the patient began to show signs of left hand weakness. The next year, the weak right arm and two legs, but the patient was able to walk and continued to refuse surgical treatment. In 2003, the patient's pain symptoms became more and more, and at this time, the patient had completely paralyzed the limbs, showing respiratory distress, losing feeling from the neck down, urinary retention and constipation. In addition, the tumor in the neck, which was only large and located in the two neck vertebrae, has now spread to six vertebrae and the medullary follicles in addition to the tumor that has grown throughout the spinal cord.

At this time, new patients agree to remove the tumor in the spinal cord. The results of anatomy show that patients with vascular fibroids, a rare tumor and very difficult to operate. After a week after surgery, he recovered a part of his arm and leg movement .

A month after surgery, the patient can remove the ventilator after having very severe respiratory complications such as lung collapse, postoperative pneumonia. Doctor Vo Xuan Son - who directly operated for Mr. Pham Ba T. - said that if the year 2000 agreed to have surgery, it would have a normal life, but due to delayed surgery, now the patient can only walk when available. canes.

Meanwhile, at the end of 1999, BN Le Cong D. (47 years old, Chau Phu district, An Giang) began to show pain in his right hand. The patient has visited and treated many places in the locality but could not detect the disease. At the end of 2002, because the right hand hurt a lot and it was very weak. He concluded that he had a stellar tumor (a type of spinal cord cancer). After surgery, the patient's condition has recovered partially but palpable sensation has not recovered yet.

Types of myeloma: A : Myeloid tumor. B : Tumors in the dura. C : Tumors in the spinal cord (Photo: TTO)

Early surgery: long life, less disability

Dr. Vo Xuan Son - Center for high-tech treatment of spinal and spinal diseases, Oriental STO Hospital - said that tumors in the spinal cord have many types and this is an increasingly detected disease. in the community thanks to medical advances (MRI magnetic resonance). Except for a very small number of tumors metastasizing to the endoplasmic cancer from organ cancer, malignant primary myeloma, germ tumors and endometrial adipose tumors, all studies agree that thorough surgery is required. , taking all myeloma without the need for radiotherapy after surgery.

With endothelial tumors with high malignancy, the postoperative effect is poor, the risk of recurrence is high. But luckily, most myeloma is tumors with low malignancy and surgery for tumor is very effective treatment. Without surgery, it is impossible to know if the tumor has a high malignancy, but the tumor has low malignancy.

According to Dr. Son, if the type of malignant tumor is low, diagnosed early and timely surgery, the clinical situation of the patient will stop like at the preoperative level or better (more than 80%), risk muscle recurrence is low and life time is almost normal.

Previously, patients with myeloma were often treated with radiation to destroy the tumor. However, radiotherapy is easy to cause damage to healthy spinal tissue, and even radiation can affect other malignant tumors. In Vietnam, the surgical treatment of myeloma through microscopy has been applied for nearly ten years. But in fact, not many patients continue to be treated with radiotherapy or chemotherapy without surgery. Many cases go abroad to treat with chemotherapy, radiation but only a short time the disease also metastasizes and dies.

According to Dr. Xuan Son, when detecting myeloma patients should be operated immediately because the characteristics of myeloma are constantly developing. With the development of diagnostic facilities and surgical support facilities, especially magnetic resonance and microsurgery glasses, the surgery has become safer due to the full assessment before surgery, the ability Further damage to the spinal cord is limited to a minimum.

Don't ignore the symptoms of numbness and weakness in your limbs

Dr. Xuan Son said most of myeloma tumors have fairly discreet onset symptoms and progress slowly, are easily overlooked in the early stages.Because most tumors in the spinal cord grow slowly in the early stages, this period usually lasts a long time, sometimes up to 20 years or longer.Clinical symptoms when detecting the disease in the spinal cord include pain and neurological dysfunction such as sensory disorders, movement disorders, sphincter disorders (causing diarrhea, dysuria, constipation), Muscle spasms, muscle atrophy and other symptoms.If the disease is severe, there may be additional symptoms of respiratory disorders.Pain is the most common onset of symptoms in adults, accounting for 60-70% of cases, the remaining 30% of patients have the first symptoms of motor disorders or sensory disorders (numbness, weakness hands and feet).However, often patients only pay attention to symptoms of pain that ignore symptoms, numbness, weakness of the hands and feet when they are still mild.

To correctly diagnose whether a patient has a myeloma, the doctor will give the patient an MRI scan.In most cases, MRI can determine whether a patient has a tumor, what kind of tumor, what kind of tumor is present, the relationship between the tumor and spinal cord to help determine the diagnosis and full assessment before surgery. as postoperative evaluation.

LE THANH HA recorded