Myeloma plateau or remission

Now that I had reached my first myeloma plateau stage people were asking “what is a plateau stage”?
When I was diagnosed with myeloma in 2001 myeloma was considered a cancer that had no cure. It was explained I would have treatment, recover, then enter a plateau stage. This would be followed by a relapse, more treatment, then another plateau stage. This cycle of treatment/plateau/relapse was to be my future with the plateau stage getting progressively shorter. Treatment was chemotherapy; Thalidomide was on the horizon, that was it.
Plateau was described as a stable stage of my disease following a good response to anti cancer treatment. The word remission was not used.
It is only in recent times that the word remission has been introduced into the myeloma vocabulary. Now it is:
CR = complete remission.
VGPR = very good partial remission.
PR = partial remission.
NR = no remission.
The advent of the new generation treatments Thalidomide, Velcade, Revlimid and their alphabet combinations VTD, RTD, VPM etc, etc have changed outcomes. Improved treatment responses means people are now living longer with myeloma.
With total therapy treatment now available CR is the expected outcome. If I was a participant of total therapy treatment I would be totally focused on CR and would be telling everyone my entire goal is CR. Plateau would not be used.
My reference to plateau stage is now being challenged by myeloma treatment moving forward, it is time for me to reassess.