To make an appointment, please call 1-800-KARMANOS (1-800-527-6266) or request an appointment online
As a leader in cancer research, Karmanos is able to offer patients access to innovative treatments and clinical trials that are often times not available anywhere else.
To offer hope and longer life to patients with all types of cancer, Karmanos offers the latest types of therapy through our clinical trials program. Through clinical trials, we are creating new knowledge about how therapies fight cancer and provide national leadership in testing these new therapies.
We understand that cancer is a complex disease that demands complex care. We provide each patient with a dynamic, carefully constructed treatment plan focused on their specific cancer and their unique needs.
We listen to you to design a plan that provides you with respect, compassionate care and is responsive to your emotional and practical concerns.
To offer hope and longer life to patients with all types of cancer, Karmanos offers the latest types of therapy through our Clinical Trials Program.
If you’ve been diagnosed with the rare diseases of multiple myeloma or amyloidosis, it’s important to be evaluated by hematology experts before beginning treatment. We can help.
Multiple myeloma is cancer of the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies, which fight off infection. Multiple myeloma is more common in older adults and symptoms may include elevated calcium levels, kidney injury, anemia, painful bone lesions or recurrent infections. It is generally not curable, but there are many effective therapies available that can help people with this illness stay healthy longer. Amyloidosis is a group of diseases that have one thing in common: abnormal protein deposits in bodily tissues, with symptoms that depend on which organs are affected. The most important organs that may be injured by amyloidosis include the heart, kidneys, nerves and liver. One of the most common types of amyloidosis is called AL (immunoglobulin light chain) amyloidosis. Some patients with AL amyloidosis also have multiple myeloma. Therapy for AL amyloidosis is similar to that of multiple myeloma, though patients may have a difficult time tolerating therapy due to the symptoms they are experiencing as a result of the underlying amyloidosis.
Our Multiple Myeloma and Amyloidosis Multidisciplinary Team sees between 230 and 250 new multiple myeloma patients and between 30 and 50 new amyloidosis patients each year. The team spans many disciplines, including hematologists, medical oncologists, specialized nurse practitioners, bone marrow transplant specialists, radiologists, pathologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, radiation oncologists, orthopedic surgeons, dietitians and social workers. The team is entirely focused on treating multiple myeloma and amyloidosis and shares its collective expertise to create a customized treatment plan for each patient. Our team of researchers not only has vast clinical expertise, but also years of clinical research experience. We have one of the largest myeloma bone marrow transplant programs in the country and are one of the few centers in the region offering investigational cellular therapies such as CAR-T cells to patients with Multiple Myeloma. In fact, Karmanos also has more active clinical trials for patients with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis than any other center in the state of Michigan. The team collaborates with basic scientists to better understand multiple myeloma and amyloidosis and to bring these new therapies to the clinic.
Every new multiple myeloma or amyloidosis patient seen in consultation at Karmanos has his or her case reviewed in the weekly MDT meeting to facilitate a customized treatment plan and timely referral to the various subspecialists needed for optimal care. During your initial visit at a Karmanos location, a physician will review your medical records, medical history and review your x-rays and pathology slides.
Here’s what patients can expect from our Multiple Myeloma and Amyloidosis Multidisciplinary Team:
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