Yesterday was the first day of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2011 annual meeting, which is being held in San Diego.

Although the day featured no oral presentations of new myeloma-related research, it started with an interesting educational session focused on multiple myeloma.

There also were a number of poster presentations during the day summarizing important new research findings.

The educational session in the morning featured three presentations by leading myeloma specialists.

Induction Therapy And Maintenance Treatment

The first presentation was by Dr. Donna Reece of the Princess Margaret…

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 and have brought about the medical advances that make these myeloma treatments possible.

My sister Deana, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in April, was admitted to the hospital on Monday of Thanksgiving week to undergo a stem cell transplant.

I was right there with her.  Correction: Me and my 150 pounds of luggage, filled…

Results from a recent Canadian study show that second stem cell trans­planta­tion as salvage therapy for multiple myeloma can be a safe and effective treatment option, especially for patients who relapsed more than 24 months after their first transplant.

Patients with a longer remission period after the first transplant demonstrated longer progression-free and overall survival times after the second transplant than those who relapsed within 24 months.

Additionally, achievement of at least a very good partial response after the salvage transplant was associ­ated with better survival outcomes.

“This may be…

A new study by Spanish researchers sheds light on the role of stem cell transplantation in the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

The study focuses on newly diagnosed patients who, in a clinical trial, did not respond to initial rounds of chemotherapy to treat their disease.

It finds that, among these non-responding patients, the ones who had stable disease after their initial round of chemotherapy responded well to stem cell transplantation.

In contrast, the patients whose disease not only did not respond to initial therapy, but continued to progress,…

A group of French myeloma specialists recently published a review of treatment strategies for multiple myeloma patients who have relapsed or become resistant to previous therapies.

This Beacon article, the first in a two-part series, summarizes the review’s perspectives on the use of novel agents in the treatment of relapsed and refractory myeloma.  

A second Beacon article will look at the review’s insights into issues that need to be considered when choosing among relapse treatment options.

The authors of the recent review begin their discussion by noting how use…