The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the drug Pomalyst to treat patients with multiple myeloma whose disease progressed after being treated with other cancer drugs.
Multiple myeloma is a form of blood cancer, primarily affecting older adults.
The National Cancer Institute says nearly 22-thousand Americans are diagnosed with it, and nearly 11-thousand die each year from it.
Pomalyst works by modulating the body's immune system to destroy cancerous cells and inhibit their growth.
It is intended for patients who have received at least two prior therapies and whose disease did not respond to treatment.
The drug, however, can cause severe life-threatening birth defects.
In my
Doctor on Call today, Janie from Conway wants to know:
What are the long-term effects of shingles on the nerves in the left leg?
Dr. Oksana Melnyk from Baptist Health Medical Clinic says the most common complications of shingles are:
- Postherpetic neuralgia - pain that goes on longer than a month after the onset of herpes zoster.
- Skin infections - if the blistered area is not kept clean it may become infected.
- In rare cases - herpes zoster may be associated with Steven-Johnson Syndrome, a serious condition where widespread blisters cover mucous membranes and large areas of the body.
