Articles Archive for June 2009
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Fill The House For LLS – On July 1, the Cleveland Indians baseball team is sponsoring a fundraiser event that will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). This event will take place at Progressive Field at 7 p.m, and the tickets will cost $16 if purchased from the LLS, otherwise $22. The Indians will donate $5 for each ticket sold by the LLS and $1 for every other ticket purchased. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit the LLS Web site.
Institutional Insights – On July 23, this educational program sponsored by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) will take place at The Westin Copley Place in Boston. The program will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Topics to be discussed at the program include advances in diagnosis, frontline therapy, stem cell transplant, managing relapse and bone disease, as well as supportive care. For more information, please visit the MMRF Web site.
BiovaxID Vaccine Released in Europe – BiovaxID is a vaccine with the potential to treat B-cell blood cancers, such as multiple myeloma. BioVest International released this vaccine, currently used for follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, on a named-patient basis in Europe. A named-patient program allows qualifying patients to receive investigational drugs before being approved by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency. For more information, please see the BioVest press release.
For a more detailed listing of myeloma related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.
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Researchers have discovered that variants in XRCC5, a DNA repair gene, are associated with greater blood clot risk during thalidomide (Thalomid) therapy. Although researchers remain unsure of the precise mechanism underlying XRCC5’s contribution to clot formation, they hope that genetic screening could one day identify high-risk patients requiring more intensive preventative intervention.
Blood clots, in particular deep vein thrombosis – which is a clot within the deep veins of the body – can be a serious and potentially fatal condition. When clots form in blood vessels, they block blood flow and the…
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Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplants (auto-HSCT) may reverse kidney failure in one third of multiple myeloma patients, according to authors of an article published in the journal Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
Stem cell transplants are used to replace stem cells that are killed along with myeloma cells during chemotherapy. Transplantation of stem cells collected from the patient’s bone marrow before chemotherapy is known as an autologous transplant.
About 20 percent of patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma also suffer from kidney failure and five percent are dependent on dialysis.
This recent study…
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San Diego International Triathlon – On June 28, the 26th annual San Diego International Triathlon will begin at 5:15 a.m. and end at noon. The race will be held at Spanish Landing Park, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training (TNT) will be participating. The race benefits St. Vincent de Paul Village, America’s top rehabilitation center for homeless and those in need. To join Team In Training for the triathlon, visit the TNT Web site.
The Price Of Life – Directed by Adam Wishart, this BBC documentary is the first to film the decision-making process of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE is an independent organization that provides medical opinions to the National Health Service (NHS), the government-funded health care system in the U.K. The documentary gives insight into NICE’s process of deciding whether or not Revlimid (lenalidomide) should be approved for use and funded by the NHS. It also gives the perspective of patients and an American drug company. For more information, please visit BBC Web site.
For a more detailed listing of myeloma related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.
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In England and Wales, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has finalized guidelines for the use of Revlimid (lenalidomide) in combination with dexamethasone (Decadron). The guidelines recommend the use of Revlimid for myeloma patients who have already received two or more prior therapies.
NICE is an independent organization that provides medical opinions to the National Health Service (NHS), the government-funded health care system in the U.K.
Based on NICE’s recommendation, the NHS will only pay for Revlimid for patients who have received at least two prior therapies. The NICE guidelines recommend…
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The Canada Border Services Agency has begun a concentrated effort to stop the smuggling of thalidomide (Thalomid) into Canada. Also, Health Canada is halting all orders and shipments of unlicensed versions of thalidomide as well as the licensed brands from Mexico and other developing countries. These measures were taken after recent news articles focused on myeloma patients smuggling low-priced thalidomide into Canada.
Despite these actions, the issue of how patients who cannot afford thalidomide are to obtain the drug remains unaddressed. Most Canadian provincial health plans do not reimburse patients for the cost…
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The European Journal of Haematology has announced that researchers have found a Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (Decadron) combination is highly effective in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. The study authors caution, however, that the treatment responses appear relatively short-lived.
In the present study, 70 relapsed or refractory myeloma patients–that is, patients whose disease has not responded to previous therapies–received either Velcade alone or a Velcade-dexamethasone combination. The treatments were not equally divided, however, and 87 percent of the patients received the combination therapy.
During treatment, 59 percent of patients achieved at least a…
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NCI Discovery May Be Used Toward Cancer Vaccine Development – On June 8 the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced that it had determined the structure of thin fibers that are commonly found on the surface of a type of E. coli bacteria responsible for traveler’s diarrhea. The researchers, who work in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research, employed atomic resolution technology to determine how the fibers assemble upon exit from the cells through a pore on the bacterial surface. Knowledge of this mechanism is currently being used to develop a vaccine for traveler’s diarrhea, although it may also be used later on for cancer vaccine development and cancer cell motility studies. For more information on the study, please read the NCI press release.
Sail-A-Thon – The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is sponsoring a sailing fundraiser for children and young adults on June 25 at the Fishing Bay Yacht Club in Deltaville, VA. The LLS will collect donations based on the number of laps that participants sail around the course. For more information, please visit the LLS Web site.
For a more detailed listing of myeloma related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.
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Pooling results from two clinical trials, researchers have announced that Revlimid (lenalidomide) may bolster the immune systems of multiple myeloma patients, thereby helping to reduce dangerous infections.
Myeloma impairs the quality and quantity of antibodies – the “soldiers” of the immune system – that an individual produces. As a result, more than 75 percent of myeloma patients will experience marked immune system depression, becoming vulnerable to potentially life-threatening bacterial infections.
Recurrent bacterial infection, resulting primarily from this immune system depression, is the most frequent cause of death in myeloma patients with advanced disease.
In…
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20th Annual Gelatin Splash – On June 11 the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is holding an event to raise money for blood cancer research and patient aid services. The event will be held at Banchetti by Rizzo’s in Amherst, NY and will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. In the past 19 years, the LLS has raised over $1.4 million from this event. If participating in the gelatin splash, the suggested minimum of sponsorship money is $300. If attending without participating in the gelatin splash, admission is free. For more information, please visit the LLS Web site.
Institutional Insights In Multiple Myeloma – On June 18 the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is sponsoring an educational program at the Hilton Chicago. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m., and the program lasts from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This program’s topics include frontline therapy, stem cell transplant, relapsed/refractory disease, supportive care, and clinical trials. Time will also be allowed for a question and answer session. For more information, please visit the MMRF Web site.
For a more detailed listing of myeloma related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.