The best treatment for multiple myeloma is which of the following?

• A. Radiation therapy
• B. Immunotherapy
• C. Chemotherapy
• D. Surgery

Answer: (C)

Multiple myeloma is a systemic cancer of plasma cells that reside in the bone marrow, so the treatment needs to reach malignant cells wherever they are in the body. Chemotherapy provides systemic action, circulating through the bloodstream to kill these malignant cells throughout the marrow and to reduce abnormal antibody production. Regimens often use combinations of drugs to improve response and duration, and many patients proceed to autologous stem cell transplant to deepen remission when feasible. Radiation therapy is reserved for targeted relief of pain from a specific bone lesion or compression, not for controlling the overall disease. Surgery doesn’t address the widespread cancer, and while immunotherapy is powerful and increasingly used, chemotherapy remains the foundational systemic treatment for multiple myeloma.