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Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinaemia responds well to treatment. What type of treatment you have, and when you have it, will depend on your individual circumstances. There are lots of different factors that help your doctor decide the best treatment for you, so you may not have the same treatment as someone else with WM.
Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinaemia is caused by abnormal cells produced in your bone marrow. The aim of any treatment is to get rid of these WM cells and send the disease into remission.
Remission is when the cells that cause your WM have either gone away entirely or have been reduced.
At the moment there isn’t a cure for Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinaemia. This means that the aim of treatment is to greatly reduce the number of WM cells in your body so that there are as few cells remaining as possible. WM responds well to treatment, which means many people feel much better after they finish a course of treatment.
Your healthcare team will monitor how well your treatment is working, by taking blood tests and talking to you about your WM symptoms. The amount of abnormal cells treatment kills differs from person to person and treatment to treatment.
There are a variety of different treatments to help manage your WM. Read more about them and what they involve
WM is often not treated right away. The decision to start treatment depends on many factors which your healthcare team will discuss with you.
It can be helpful to prepare physically, mentally and practically before treatment starts to make things easier to manage.
You will be monitored by your doctor to see how your treatment is working for you. Learn more about how they do this and what it means.
Treatment can reduce the amount of WM cells in your body, but it can’t kill them all. This means after a period of time, the number of WM cells increase, making symptoms worse. Read more about what happens when WM returns.
Sometimes, people with WM come to a point where there are no more treatment options. This can be really difficult. Here is information to help if this has happened to you.
WMUK is always here to help, however you’re feeling.
You can call us on 0300 303 5870, or view our other support options.