HOUSTON — Eric Dillon was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2024 after experiencing severe shoulder pain while doing yard work at his home in Houston in May 2024. An MRI ordered after the incident showed abnormal results, leading to a referral to an orthopedic oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where his wife had scheduled an appointment.

Dillon had previously attributed shoulder pain to a strained rotator cuff, which an orthopedic doctor diagnosed as a musculoskeletal issue. Physical therapy and stretching reduced the pain for two years. During the consultation with the oncologist, Dillon recalled the surprise of the diagnosis. "I walked in, and she was like, 'You know why you're here?' I was like, 'I've got a referral from another doctor to see you,'" Dillon remembered. "She was like, 'I'm an orthopedic oncologist ... I do cancer.' I was like, 'Wait, what?'" Tests subsequently confirmed that Dillon had multiple myeloma, and doctors established a treatment plan.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer that affects plasma cells. Oncologist Hearn Cho noted the difficulty in diagnosing the condition. "The bones of the spinal column are often involved in myeloma, and so that causes back pain. But back pain is probably the number one or number two most common complaint in general medicine," Cho said. "So going to your internist and saying 'My back hurts,' the first thing in their mind is not multiple myeloma. It's musculoskeletal back pain, it's arthritis, muscle strain. They'll say take some anti-inflammatories, ice your shoulder, do physical therapy, because common things are common. It can be very difficult to make the diagnosis, and can take a long time."

Dillon enrolled in a clinical trial for multiple myeloma treatment, adjusting his work schedule as an engineering consultant to accommodate the trial. His care team adjusted his dosage of trial drugs due to minor side effects. "Being in a clinical trial, to me, was a plus. It made me feel a lot better. It gave me a little more control and more understanding of what was going on," he said. "From that point forward, everything seems to have gone well. There were no major side effects, no major impacts, anything else from it."

Dillon underwent eight cycles of treatment over nearly a year and received several rounds of radiation to eliminate remaining cancer cells in his shoulder bone. Following the radiation treatment, his shoulder pain resolved. "It was just tremendous to be pain-free and moving forward," he said. "Now, everything is beautiful."

Dillon is currently in remission and takes one daily medication to maintain this status. He has regular appointments with his oncologist to monitor for recurrence and is not currently interested in undergoing a stem cell replacement procedure. He is working with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to raise awareness of the disease. "This is not one of those cancers that there's no treatment for," he said. "The future is bright. The opportunities are bright."