Which of the following is a standard class of therapy used to treat Multiple Myeloma?

• A. Proteasome inhibitors
• B. Antibiotics
• C. Vaccines
• D. Hormone therapy

Answer: (A)

Targeting proteostasis with proteasome inhibitors is a standard approach in multiple myeloma. These malignant plasma cells churn out large amounts of immunoglobulin, creating a heavy protein load that relies on the proteasome to dispose of misfolded proteins. When the proteasome is inhibited, these proteins accumulate, triggering stress responses and leading to cell death preferentially in the malignant cells. That’s why drugs in this class, such as bortezomib, carfilzomib, and ixazomib, are cornerstone therapies used in many regimens for induction, relapse, and other stages of the disease. The other options listed don’t act as standard disease-modifying therapies for multiple myeloma: antibiotics treat infections, vaccines are for prevention or immunization rather than directly treating the myeloma, and hormone therapy isn’t used as a core class to target the malignant plasma cells in the same way proteasome inhibitors do.