Pat’s Place: Stem Cell Transplant Patients Are Brave And Determined People
Last week I returned home after spending 16 days hospitalized in the Moffitt Cancer Center’s Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Treatment Unit, followed by seven days as an outpatient. I wanted to wait a...
View ArticlePercentage Of Cancerous Plasma Cells Post Transplant May Predict Outcome In...
Korean researchers recently found that the percentage of cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow, measured on day 14 post transplant, may predict disease progression in multiple myeloma patients...
View ArticleMultiple Myeloma And MGUS Patients May Have An Increased Risk Of Developing...
Results of a large analysis conducted in Sweden show that multiple myeloma patients are more likely than the general population to develop certain cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia,...
View ArticlePat’s Place: What Happened To My Organizational Skills And Focus?
I returned home from my stem cell transplant late last month. At first, my progress was uneven and a bit frustrating. I would feel a bit better one day, only to backslide and lose ground the next....
View ArticleGene Therapy Advance In Leukemia Suggests New Treatment Options For Multiple...
A promising experimental method for treating advanced leukemia may point the way to important new treatment options for multiple myeloma. “It is very exciting,” said Dr. Leif Bergsagel, a myeloma...
View ArticleTreating Multiple Myeloma Patients: Optimizing Response While Minimizing Side...
Novel agents, such as Velcade (bortezomib) and Revlimid (lenalidomide), have greatly advanced the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma. Indeed, by incorporating novel agents as induction therapy...
View ArticleBeacon NewsFlashes – August 15, 2011
Protein May Interfere With Revlimid Doses In The Body – Results of a recent small Phase 1 clinical trial investigating the efficacy and safety of Revlimid (lenalidomide) in combination with Torisel...
View ArticleBig Sis In Burgundy: Out Of The Mouths Of Babes
For those following my story closely, you may recall that my sister Deana has three adorable children, Andrew (12), Clare (8), and Gregory (2). I love these children as if they were my own, as I do...
View ArticleBirds In Spring: Ten Self-Preservation Tips For A Hospital Admission
In last month’s column, I took a look at risks patients face in hospitals, mostly from the perspective of “adverse events” – harmful, even fatal, occurrences that are unrelated to your underlying...
View ArticleStem Cell Transplants May Be Feasible In Elderly Multiple Myeloma Patients
The results of a small, retrospective analysis show that stem cell transplants may be safe and feasible in multiple myeloma patients over the age of 70. Based on their findings, the authors of the...
View ArticlePat’s Place: Post-Transplant Let-Down
Last Sunday my wife, Pattie, and I were spending some quality “together time” around the house. We don’t get to spend as much time together as one would think. Like a lot of couples, we are both...
View ArticleRevlimid Maintenance Therapy After Donor Stem Cell Transplantation Is Not...
Results of a recent small Phase 2 study conducted in the Netherlands suggest that Revlimid maintenance therapy improves responses in multiple myeloma patients receiving “mini” donor stem cell...
View ArticleBeacon Breaking News – FDA Accepts Carfilzomib New Drug Application
Onyx Pharmaceuticals, the U.S. company developing carfilzomib as a potential new treatment for multiple myeloma, announced this morning that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the...
View ArticleBeacon NewsFlashes – November 30, 2011
Inhibition Of MAGE-C1/CT7 Increases Sensitivity Of Myeloma Cells To Velcade – Results of a recent Brazilian study show that inhibiting the MAGE-C1/CT7 gene in myeloma cells increases their sensitivity...
View ArticlePat’s Place: My Myeloma Therapy Is Working – But Not Without Significant Side...
I have experienced a lot medically since my previous column. Some of the news is good. But there have also been a few hiccups along the way … Let’s focus on the good news first. As hoped, the...
View ArticleCzech Researchers Look At Impact Of Chromosomal Abnormalities In Newly...
Myeloma specialists from the Czech Republic have published clinical trial results that shed further light on chromosomal abnormalities and their impact on survival in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma...
View ArticleBig Sis in Burgundy: At Long Last … The Transplant!
Today is Day Twelve. For those who have been through a stem cell transplant, you know exactly what that means. “Thankful” doesn’t begin to express my feelings for the researchers who work tirelessly...
View ArticleInitial Treatment With Cyclophosphamide, Velcade, And Dexamethasone Compares...
Results of a recent study show that newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients initially treated with a combination of cyclophosphamide, Velcade, and dexamethasone have better response rates and less...
View ArticleSean’s Burgundy Thread: Myeloma Christmas Memories
“Daddy, do you remember that Christmas when you were bald?” my eight-year old daughter Lizzie recently asked me. Until that point we had been talking about the eagles that occasionally glided in the...
View ArticleThe Myeloma Beacon To Provide Comprehensive Coverage Of The 2011 American...
The 53rd annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) will be held this Saturday, December 10, through Tuesday, December 13, in San Diego. Over 20,000 people are expected to attend this...
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