Worldwide Recognition for Innovation and Cure. The UAMS Myeloma Center is an international leader in the treatment and study of multiple myeloma and related diseases. Our team of renowned scientists and clinicians translates advances from the laboratory into novel clinical treatments, continually expanding the boundaries of myeloma research and therapy toward cure.
Experience. The Myeloma Center has more than 25 years of clinical and research excellence focused exclusively on multiple myeloma and related conditions, and is known worldwide for its high volume of patients and outstanding outcomes.
Expertise. The Myeloma Center’s multidisciplinary team has extensive expertise in disease diagnosis, treatment and management. This ensures that patients receive comprehensive, highly-specialized care, with individualized, tailored treatment plans. Our team includes supportive care specialists who address and manage the symptoms associated with disease complexities and treatment regimens. Social workers and customer service staff oversee a network of support services designed to alleviate psycho-social concerns and to facilitate long-term stays in Little Rock.
Proven results. A patient newly diagnosed with low-risk multiple myeloma who is treated at the Myeloma Center can expect to survive more than 10 years. The currently expected 5-year survival rate for a newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma patient treated at the Myeloma Center is 74%, versus 43% for a comparable population in the National Cancer Institute cancer statistics (SEER) database (based on comparison of overall survival for Total Therapy 3 patients with overall survival for myeloma patients in the SEER data base who were diagnosed in or after 2003; age less than 75 at time of diagnosis). Our world-class physicians and scientists employ novel, new technologies and treatments, resulting in continually improved survival rates and survival durations.
Advanced Diagnostics. Advanced diagnostics at the Myeloma Center enable us to identify the specifics of each person’s disease and personalize a course of treatment for the best possible results. Diagnostic tools include Gene Expression Profiling (to identify molecular subtypes and high-risk and low-risk disease characteristics), DNA and RNA sequencing (to look for a range of genetic mutations to guide treatments that target tumor suppressor genes), and Methylation Analysis (to provide insight for stimulating tumor suppressor genes). We have the expertise to interpret test results and understand their scientific basis and significance. The ability to develop and utilize advanced diagnostic tools and fine-tune treatment accordingly is unique to the Myeloma Center.
Total Treatment. The Myeloma Center’s novel “total therapy” approach, designed to attack myeloma from all fronts and thereby reduce relapse and residual disease, has been at the core of our successful outcomes since 1989. Median survival rates and length of sustained complete remission have increased dramatically through “total therapy” advances. With the more recent focus on personalized medicine, our Total Treatment approach has evolved to a new level based on defining each patient’s disease characteristics and designing precision treatments that target the disease while sparing normal cells and minimizing side effects.
Ground-breaking research. A world leader in multiple myeloma research, the Myeloma Center continues to develop new treatments for multiple myeloma and related diseases. Researchers conduct robust clinical trials for newly diagnosed, relapsed and refractory disease that incorporate novel treatment approaches to push beyond past successes and further improve patient outcomes.