Articles in the Featured Category
Featured, Headline, News, Resources »
Individuals with multiple myeloma are recommended to get both the H1N1 (“swine flu”) vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine. In particular, most myeloma patients are advised to get the shot version of the H1N1 vaccine.
About The H1N1 Flu
The H1N1 flu, also referred to as “swine flu,” has caused thousands of hospitalizations and more than 600 deaths in the United States since it was first detected in April 2009.
It is spread through person-to-person contact, often by sneezing or…
Featured, Headline, News »
A recent study of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients found that Revlimid (lenalidomide) and low-dose dexamethasone (Decadron) resulted in better short-term overall survival and fewer severe side effects than Revlimid and high-dose dexamethasone. Results were so convincing after one year that the trial was stopped early.
For years, Revlimid plus high-dose dexamethasone has been a standard treatment for multiple myeloma.
“The results of the study have already changed practice worldwide,” said Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar of the Mayo…
Featured, Headline, News »
In a recent phase 2 clinical trial published in the journal Leukemia and Lymphoma, ten out of 23 participants with recurring multiple myeloma or other plasma cell cancers reached partial or complete remission on a steroid-free treatment regimen of Velcade (bortezomib), Doxil (doxorubicin liposomal), and thalidomide (Thalomid). The scientists at the State University of New York who performed the trial were looking for a treatment for people who cannot tolerate steroids.
Steroid-based drugs such as dexamethasone…
Featured, Headline, News »
Patients with multiple myeloma and other blood cancers have a high risk of venous thromboembolism, or blood clotting, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The rate of this complication is influenced by multiple factors, including the type of disease, the type of chemotherapy, and the use of catheters.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a condition in which a blood clot forms in a vein, limiting the blood flow in the affected vein. Additionally, a piece…
Featured, Headline, News »
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently announced a massive fall vaccination campaign against both the seasonal influenza virus and the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. Patients with multiple myeloma are recommended to receive both flu shots, in addition to a vaccine for pneumonia for influenza-related complications. The flu shots may be administered simultaneously at different injection sites on the body.
The H1N1 flu, which was initially referred to as swine flu, is responsible for thousands of hospitalizations and more…
Featured, Headline, News, Resources »
The latest research shows that resveratrol, one of the major active compounds in red wine, may effectively kill myeloma cells. But while drinking red wine has been proven to lower the risk of some cancers, the effects of red wine have not been studied in relation to multiple myeloma. The next step for resveratrol–clinical trials–has just begun.
Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol, which is a plant compound that has anti-oxidant properties. Grape skins have high concentrations of resveratrol, which…
Featured, Headline, News, Resources »
“For as long as I can remember, I have been a builder, a fixer, an explorer,” said myeloma patient Scott Woodward in a speech at an event benefitting Gilda’s Club, a cancer support group. “You’d want me along if you ever got shipwrecked.”
After a boyhood fixing motorcycles and rider lawnmowers, Woodward is now a New York-based mechanical engineer who researches the fluid dynamics of blood. He has lived with multiple myeloma since his diagnosis just after Christmas in…
Featured, Headline, News, Resources »
“They put me on some routine blood tests and it showed up in there,” said Karen Crowley, a proud mother and writer of the blog “The Adventures of Cancer Girl.” “I didn’t even feel sick, and all of a sudden, I had cancer.”
Crowley was diagnosed in November 2005 with smoldering myeloma – a type of myeloma that advances slowly and exhibits no symptoms. As a relatively healthy 34-year-old woman, Crowley had never heard the term “multiple myeloma” until she…
Featured, News »
There are probably few words more frightening than those of a doctor telling you “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you have cancer.”
Those words are even more frightening when you’re told the cancer you have is one you’ve never heard of.
You can imagine, then, how tens of thousands of men and women around the world feel each year when they learn they have multiple myeloma.
They are told they have cancer. Multiple myeloma, to be specific. And it’s a…
Featured, Resources »
There is not a single test or medical procedure that can accurately diagnose a patient for multiple myeloma. Instead, multiple factors are considered before a diagnosis is made. Please review the sections below for more information on these specific factors.
Blood Test
Blood tests show the components of the blood. When a person has myeloma, specific blood cells and proteins, which are identified through a test called protein electrophoresis, are present in excess amounts in the blood. For example, a…