http://www.myelomabeacon.com The Myeloma Beacon provides extensive news, articles, and directories related to multiple myeloma. Its mission is to be the leading Internet resource for multiple myeloma patients, their families, and others interested in multiple myeloma. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:18:21 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A diagnostic measure called plasma cell labeling index (PCLI) can help predict the likelihood that someone with smoldering multiple myeloma will progress to multiple myeloma, wrote researchers in a letter to the editor published in this month’s Mayo Clinic Proceedings. People with smoldering multiple myeloma have abnormal levels of certain cells ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/03/12/new-test-helps-predict-more-specific-prognoses-for-smoldering-myeloma-patients/ The findings of a recent study indicate that the combination regimen of Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone (Decadron) is effective and safe in multiple myeloma patients with reduced kidney function and may even improve kidney function in some patients when the Revlimid dosage is adjusted according to kidney function. The study ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/03/11/dose-adjusted-revlimid-dexamethasone-combination-is-safe-and-effective-in-multiple-myeloma-patients-with-reduced-kidney-function-study-suggests/ Exposure to prior myeloma therapies, specifically thalidomide (Thalomid) and autologous stem cell transplants (ASCT), does not influence the superior efficacy of Velcade (bortezomib) compared to dexamethasone (Decadron) in patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma, according to an analysis published in the British Journal of Haematology. Researchers had previously found that Velcade resulted in a ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/03/10/regardless-of-prior-therapies-velcade-is-superior-over-dexamethasone-in-relapsed-multiple-myeloma-patients/ Perifosine Receives “Orphan Medicinal Product Designation” In Europe For Myeloma – On March 1, Aeterna Zentaris announced that it received a positive opinion for orphan medicinal product designation for perifosine for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Perifosine is currently being studied in a Phase 3 trial for myeloma. Orphan ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/03/09/beacon-newsflashes-%e2%80%93-march-9-2010/ The survival time of a multiple myeloma patient is strongly dependent on the patient’s age at diagnosis, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study, which evaluated the impact of age on disease outcome, compared the survival time (from diagnosis) between patients in different ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/03/05/study-points-to-age-as-significant-risk-factor-for-survival-in-myeloma-patients/ A new study published in the journal Leukemia determined that when treated with Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone (Decadron), relapsed and refractory myeloma patients with genetic risk factors experience lower response rates and shorter progression-free and overall survival durations. Researchers also discovered that prior treatment with thalidomide (Thalomid) was associated with a ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/03/03/genetic-risk-factors-and-treatment-history-may-predict-response-in-patients-with-relapsedrefractory-myeloma-study-finds/ A recent paper published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology updated the outcomes of multiple myeloma trials conducted by the Intergroupe Francophone du Myelome, the Southwest Oncology Group, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The update provides a fuller, long-term picture of the advantages of some of the autotransplant ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/03/01/international-effort-updates-results-from-multiple-myeloma-stem-cell-transplant-trials/ The use of thalidomide (Thalomid) in induction and maintenance therapies for multiple myeloma patients receiving a stem cell transplant resulted in better overall response rates but did not significantly improve overall survival, according to a Phase 3 study recently published in the journal Blood. In their study, researchers randomly assigned 556 ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/02/25/thalidomide-as-induction-and-maintenance-therapy-improves-response-rates-in-multiple-myeloma-patients/ The year 2009 brought a lot of new and exciting advancements in the field of multiple myeloma. Over the course of 2009, The Myeloma Beacon covered more than 100 important myeloma-related studies. To highlight the most important of these studies, the Myeloma Beacon surveyed leading physicians and researchers in the field. ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/02/23/the-top-myeloma-research-of-2009/ A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology determined that patients who achieved very good partial response (VGPR) or better after high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation experienced significantly longer event-free and overall survival. “Very good partial response” is one of the terms defined by the International Myeloma Working ... http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2010/02/19/achieving-very-good-partial-response-indicates-a-good-prognosis-for-multiple-myeloma-patients-study-finds/