Independent, up-to-date news and information for multiple myeloma patients and their families.
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Results from a recent French study identified several factors that predict long-term survival of patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma. These prognostic factors include the absence of three key chromosomal abnormalities, low beta-2 microglobulin levels in the blood, and younger age. The three key chromosomal abnormalities that were absent in patients who survived longer were a gain in chromosome 1 (called 1q gain), a translocation from chromosome 4 to 14 (called t(4;14)), and a deletion in chromosome 17 (called del(17p)). Patients who lived longer were also younger than 55 years of age and had blood beta-2 microglobulin levels below 5.5 mg/L. “There are several important observations [from this study],” noted Beacon Medical Advisor Dr. Peter… Read the full story » |
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The results of a recent analysis suggest that the dosage of re-infused lymphocytes during an autologous stem cell transplant does not affect relapse or survival rates in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.
“These findings would seem to indicate that, in the context of upfront autologous stem cell transplantation, the proportion of the lymphocytes re-infused is not associated with outcome. In the salvage setting, further analysis needs to be done,” said Dr. Laura Percy of University College London and lead investigator of the study.
High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell…
I thought I’d tell a little story related to an aspergillus fungal infection that beset me before my first stem cell transplant.
What I’m going to recount here has less to do with the fungal infection than it is a cautionary tale.
In a dark way, this story can be somewhat amusing, but the absurdity only gets humorous in the retelling, not in the actual experience.
The aspergillus came along with something called bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia, or BOOP. That there’s even an illness that’s called BOOP is kind…
The 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will take place Friday, June 1, through Tuesday, June 5, in Chicago.
More than 25,000 clinical specialists from all over the world are expected to attend the five-day meeting to discuss the current research in cancer treatment and care. The theme for this year’s meeting is “Collaborating to Conquer Cancer.”
The meeting will include many presentations and seminars focused specifically on multiple myeloma. The ASCO website currently lists nearly 50 myeloma-based presentations (included under “lymphoma and plasma cell…
It seems that one of the most common (and reviled) topics in the Beacon’s columns and forums is dexamethasone and its side effects.
For most of the 15 cycles I’ve been receiving treatment, I haven’t had much in the way of side effects related to the dexamethasone (Decadron). I certainly haven’t experienced some of the significant issues that a lot of others have.
Recently however, the effects have been getting more noticeable.
Still, I hadn’t planned on using it as a subject for a column, but as fate would…
Study Reveals Genetic Differences Between MGUS And Multiple Myeloma – In a recent study, Spanish researchers identified chromosomal abnormalities that were more frequent in patients with active mutiple myeloma than in patients with smoldering myeloma and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a condition that may later progress to smoldering or active myeloma. The researchers also found that chromosomal abnormalities tend to be more frequent in active myeloma patients than in smoldering myeloma patients, and also more frequent in smoldering myeloma patients than in MGUS patients. For more information, please see the study in Leukemia (abstract).
sCD105 Protein May Be An Indicator For Myeloma Severity – Results of a recent study show that levels of the protein sCD105 circulating in the blood are higher in multiple myeloma patients than in healthy individuals. Higher levels of sCD105 also were associated with more advanced stages of disease. sCD105 is known to play a role in the growth of new blood vessels and may thus contribute to tumor progression in myeloma. Researchers believe these findings warrant further study of sCD105 levels as an indicator for disease activity. For more information, please see the study in the European Journal of Internal Medicine (abstract).
Whole Body MRI Adds Limited Value To Routine Myeloma Remission Testing After Transplantation – A recent study found that the use of whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect persisting or relapsing multiple myeloma post transplant offers little added value compared to current routine laboratory tests. The results of the whole body MRI and routine laboratory tests were in agreement in 79 percent of the patients assessed. For more information, please see the study in European Radiology (abstract).
IMF Myeloma Workshop For Patients And Families – The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) will be hosting a workshop for multiple myeloma patients and their families on May 19 in Indianapolis, IN. Dr. Rafat Abonour from the Indiana University Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation Program and nurse Kena Miller from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY, will speak about topics including treatment options, managing side effects, and local clinical trials. For more information or to register, please visit the IMF website.
For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.
