Book a Consultation
A new myeloma diagnosis can leave you with more questions than answers. You may be unsure about your test results, whether treatment should start now, or which doctor guides each step. Our hematology oncology team in Brooksville sees patients from across Hernando County.
This page explains what is happening in plain language. It walks through the usual workup and how a treatment plan is built. The aim is to help you arrive at your first visit feeling less lost.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that lives in your bone marrow. In healthy marrow, plasma cells make antibodies that fight infection. In myeloma, they grow out of control and make abnormal proteins, often called M proteins.
As myeloma cells build up in the marrow, they can crowd out healthy blood cells. The abnormal proteins can also contribute to kidney and immune problems, while myeloma cells can damage and weaken bone.
Not every patient with abnormal plasma cells needs immediate treatment. Some have a precursor condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, or MGUS. In MGUS, M protein is present but no symptoms or organ damage exist.
Smoldering myeloma sits in between, with more abnormal cells but no myeloma-defining organ damage or biomarker features. It is often monitored on a schedule. Active myeloma is causing organ damage or meets specific myeloma-defining test criteria and usually requires therapy.
The same care team treats other blood cancers, including Hodgkin lymphoma treatment and related conditions.
Many people first learn about myeloma after a routine blood test or after a bone fracture that does not match the injury. In plain terms, you might feel unusually tired, notice persistent back or rib pain, or get sick more often. Some patients first hear from a primary doctor that kidney numbers have shifted.
The classic features of active myeloma are summarized as CRAB:
•Calcium elevation: High blood calcium can cause confusion, weakness, excessive thirst, and constipation.
•Renal impairment: The abnormal proteins myeloma produces can damage the kidneys over time.
•Anemia: A drop in healthy red blood cells leads to fatigue and shortness of breath.
•Bone pain or fractures: Myeloma weakens bone, especially in the spine, hips, and ribs.
Some symptoms need urgent care, not a wait-and-see approach. Call 911 right away for sudden severe back pain with leg weakness, numbness, or trouble walking, or for high fever with chills, confusion, or a sharp drop in urination.
These signs can mean spinal cord compression, serious infection, or a calcium or kidney emergency. The kidneys are often part of the picture in myeloma, and staying well hydrated while the workup is in progress can help protect them.
If your symptoms are not an emergency but you are unsure what to do next, call your primary care doctor or the clinician who ordered your tests. They can help you decide whether the next step is a same-day visit, a lab recheck, or a referral.
A myeloma diagnosis is built from several different tests, not from a single result. Each test answers a different question, so it helps to know what each one is checking before you walk into the office.
•Blood and urine tests: Lab work checks for M proteins, calcium levels, kidney function (creatinine), albumin, and a complete blood count. ACTC has a full in-house laboratory, so your team can coordinate lab checks on site.
•Imaging: X-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET) scans look for bone lesions, soft tissue tumors, and spinal involvement. The clinician ordering your workup will choose which scans fit your situation. The differences between CT and PET scans are worth a quick read before your appointment.
•Bone marrow biopsy: A small sample of marrow is taken so a pathologist can measure the percentage of plasma cells and check for cell features. Your team will explain where this part of the workup will be performed and how the report will be reviewed for treatment planning.
When you come in, please bring prior protein studies, kidney labs, any imaging on disc, biopsy reports, and a current medication list. The fuller the picture, the faster we can build your plan.
Myeloma treatment is rarely a single drug or a single decision. Most plans are built in phases and use a combination of medicines that attack the cancer in different ways. Your specific plan will depend on your kidney function, overall health, age, fitness for intensive therapy, and personal goals.
A typical pathway looks like this:
•Induction therapy: The starting phase, designed to lower the number of myeloma cells quickly and protect your bones and kidneys. This is usually a multi-drug regimen given over several months.
•Transplant evaluation: After induction, your team considers whether a stem cell transplant is appropriate. ACTC does not perform stem cell transplants in Brooksville. We help you prepare, coordinate with the transplant center during your stay, and manage your follow-up care here.
•Consolidation and maintenance: Lower-intensity therapy may continue for an extended period to keep the myeloma from coming back as quickly. Maintenance can last months to years.
Within those phases, several medicine categories are commonly used:
•Targeted therapy: Drugs in this category, including proteasome inhibitors, interfere with specific proteins that myeloma cells need to survive. We use targeted therapy across many cancer types.
•Immunotherapy: Monoclonal antibodies and other immune-based options can be paired with other drugs to help your immune system attack myeloma cells.
•Chemotherapy: Traditional chemotherapy is still part of some plans, particularly around transplant preparation at a transplant center.
•Radiation therapy: Focused radiation oncology can treat a painful bone lesion, an area at risk of fracture, or a spot pressing on the spinal cord. Radiation is local and does not replace systemic therapy, but it can bring real relief when bone pain is the main problem.
Your team will walk you through how immunotherapy works in plain language. We also cover which side effects to watch for during treatment.
We also help patients understand whether a clinical trial might fit their situation. One of our physicians is a site investigator for ongoing trials, and that conversation can happen at any visit.
Living through myeloma treatment is not only about the medicines. It is also about protecting your bones, your kidneys, and your immune system while therapy is doing its job. Our infusion room and in-house laboratory let us monitor your blood counts and kidney function at regular intervals throughout your care. A few areas we watch closely:
•Bone health: Myeloma weakens bone, so fracture prevention matters. Your team may discuss bone-strengthening medicines, safe activity guidelines, and steps to prevent osteoporosis after cancer treatment.
•Infection risk: Both the disease and many of the drugs lower your ability to fight infection. Call us early about fever, chills, or new confusion. Patients often ask how to boost immunity during cancer treatment, and we will give you specific guidance for your regimen.
•Kidney protection: Hydration, careful medication review, and routine labs help us catch kidney changes early.
•Day-to-day side effects: Fatigue, nausea, neuropathy, and blood-count changes are common. Our notes on chemotherapy side effects give you a starting framework, and your team will tailor recommendations to your regimen.
Myeloma care often means frequent labs, infusions, and check-ins, so keeping much of that monitoring in one building saves time and energy for patients from Spring Hill, Weeki Wachee, and Ridge Manor. Your team will tell you what to watch at home and what should prompt a phone call. We would rather hear from you early than have you wait it out.
Many patients respond well to first-line treatment, then see the myeloma return months or years later. If that happens, it is not a failure of your care or your effort. It reflects the biology of this cancer, and there are usually more options.
When myeloma returns or stops responding, we review what you have already received. Your current health and goals shape the next move. A relapse plan often draws from a different mix of targeted, immune, and chemotherapy options.
For some patients, a referral for a second transplant evaluation is part of the conversation. We coordinate with transplant specialists and other oncology specialists when outside input is needed, drawing on shared experience across blood cancer types and treatments.
The goal at every stage is to control the myeloma, protect your function, and keep your daily life as full as possible.
Most patients want one team that knows them, sees them often, and can answer the small questions that come up between appointments. Our hematology oncology providers in Brooksville care for patients across Hernando County, including Spring Hill, Weeki Wachee, and Ridge Manor.
Your myeloma care is led by our hematology oncology team, working alongside our radiation oncologists when bone-directed treatment fits the plan. The team manages the day-to-day of your treatment and stays in close contact with any outside specialists involved in your care.
ACTC is a single 21,000-square-foot center on Cortez Boulevard. Services on site include:
•In-house laboratory and infusion room: Blood work and infusions can be coordinated on site as part of your care.
•Imaging: Computed tomography (CT) imaging is available on site, and ACTC lists mobile positron emission tomography (PET) among its diagnostic equipment.
•Radiation oncology: Our radiation team works in the same building.
•Financial counseling: Available to help you work through the cost side of treatment without adding it to your worry
The specialists for multiple myeloma at ACTC in Florida, offer outstanding patient care by prescribing personalized and evidence-based treatment plans tailored to individual patients' needs. We aim to foster a positive environment that focuses on physical and mental health throughout a cancer patient's journey.
The following are our providers who you can consult at ACTC:
MD, Hematology & Oncology
MD, Ph.D., Hematology/ Medical Oncology
MD, Radiation Oncologist
A myeloma diagnosis brings a long list of questions, and you do not have to sort through them alone. Call us at 352-345-4565 or request an appointment online. We will help you understand where you are, what your options look like, and what comes next.
Schedule a consultation by calling
352-345-4565
It depends on whether the disease is causing damage. Smoldering myeloma shows abnormal plasma cells or M protein in your labs, but no symptoms or organ injury. Active myeloma is causing problems like anemia, kidney issues, high calcium, or bone lesions, or it meets specific myeloma-defining test criteria.
Smoldering disease is usually monitored on a schedule. Active disease usually starts treatment.
Not necessarily. A stem cell transplant is one possible step, but it is not part of every patient's plan. Whether you are a candidate depends on your age, fitness, kidney function, and response to induction. ACTC does not perform transplants in Brooksville. When a transplant is part of your plan, we help you prepare, stay in touch with the transplant center during your stay, and manage your follow-up care here.
It varies, but the first step is almost always a careful workup. That usually means lab work, imaging, and a review of any biopsy results before any treatment decision is made. Bring your records, medication list, and questions to your first visit.
Yes. Myeloma often responds well at first and then returns later. That pattern is expected and does not mean treatment failed. If your numbers shift or symptoms return, your team will reassess and discuss next options. Those may draw on different drug classes or include a clinical trial.
It varies. Clinical trial availability changes over time, and trial options depend on your stage, prior treatment, and other health factors. Ask at your visit whether a trial may fit your situation.
Schedule a consultation by calling
352-345-4565
Subscribe to our newsletter
Social Links
15211 Cortez Boulevard, Brooksville, Florida 34613