Bone marrow transplant for multiple myeloma

Marrow transplantation for multiple myeloma is now a well-established therapeutic intervention. Allogeneic transplant has the advantage that it is potentially curative by virtue of graft versus myeloma effect. Unfortunately, the up-front mortality is approximately 40% in the first year. Autologous transplantation can be accomplished with a much lower risk of approximately 2-4%. Unfortunately, autologous transplantation is not curative for this disease and the median prolongation of survival is approximately 15 months. The ultimate role of transplantation in the overall management of younger patients with multiple myeloma remains a subject for future research.