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Multiple Myeloma Blog
Related terms: Cancer, Malignant Plasmacytoma, Cancer, Multiple Myeloma, Cancer, Plasma Cell Dyscrasia, Cancer, Plasma Cell Myeloma, Malignant Plasmacytoma, Myeloma, Multiple, Plasma Cell Dyscrasia, Plasma Cell Myeloma, Plasmacytoma of Bone
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New Drug Shows Promise for Myeloma Patients
Posted 18 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 9 – Three new studies confirm that the drug lenalidomide can significantly lengthen the time that people with multiple myeloma experience no worsening of their disease, either after having a stem cell transplant or getting chemotherapy. However, what isn't clear from the studies is whether or not the improved "progression-free" survival time will translate to a longer overall survival. "These are very promising, early studies," said the author of an accompanying editorial, Dr. Ashraf Badros, a professor in the department of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in Baltimore. "I think these studies will generate a lot of discussion." Potential areas of debate, he said, include whether or not progression-free survival is enough if there isn't an overall survival benefit. He said that progression-free survival may well justify this treatment if quality ... Read more
Related support groups: Revlimid, Multiple Myeloma, Lenalidomide
FDA Medwatch Alert: Revlimid (lenalidomide): Ongoing Safety Review - Increased Risk of Developing New Malignancies
Posted 7 May 2012 by Drugs.com
[UPDATED 05/07/2012] FDA notified the public of an increased risk of second primary malignancies (new types of cancer) in patients with newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma who received Revlimid (lenalidomide). Clinical trials conducted after Revlimid was approved showed that newly-diagnosed patients treated with Revlimid had an increased risk of developing second primary malignancies compared to similar patients who received a placebo. Specifically, these trials showed there was an increased risk of developing acute myelogenous leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and Hodgkin lymphoma. This safety information has been added to the Warnings and Precautions section of the Revlimid drug label. The patient Medication Guide is also being updated to inform patients about this risk. Healthcare professionals should consider both the potential benefit of Revlimid and the risk of second primary m ... Read more
Related support groups: Revlimid, Multiple Myeloma, Lenalidomide
'Mini' Stem Cell Transplant May Help Seniors With Blood Cancer
Posted 1 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 – Age in itself should not be a factor in deciding whether blood cancer patients are candidates for stem cell transplantation, according to a new study. Blood cancers include leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. For the study, researchers analyzed long-term outcomes among 372 blood cancer patients aged 60 to 75 who underwent a "mini-transplant," which is a "kinder, gentler" form of allogeneic (cells from another person) stem cell transplantation developed at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The five-year rates of overall survival and disease progression-free survival among the patients were 35 percent and 32 percent, respectively. Comparable survival rates were seen when the patients were divided into three age groups – 60 to 64, 65 to 69, and 70 to 75 – suggesting that age plays a limited role in the success of the mini-transplant. While a survival ... Read more
Related support groups: Leukemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma
Growing Up Near Livestock Tied to Blood Cancers
Posted 28 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, July 28 – Children raised on livestock farms are at significantly greater risk of developing blood cancers – such as leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma – later in life, a new study contends. The researchers pointed out that further studies will be needed before a definitive cause and effect can be established, but they suggested that exposure to particular viruses during childhood may modify the immune system response and result in a higher risk for blood cancer in adulthood. In conducting the study, published in the July 28 online edition of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers compiled information from 114,000 death certificates for people between 35 and 85 years of age who died between 1998 and 2003 in New Zealand. The study found that over the five-year period, more than 3,000 deaths were attributed to blood cancers. Moreover, the ... Read more
Related support groups: Leukemia, Multiple Myeloma, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Genome Map of Multiple Myeloma Offers Clues to Its Cause
Posted 23 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 23 – The genome of the highly aggressive blood cancer multiple myeloma has been mapped by a team of North American scientists, who say their achievement will improve understanding of what causes the disease and may lead to new treatments. "For the first time, we are able to see on a molecular basis what might be causing this malignancy," Dr. David S. Siegel, chief of the multiple myeloma division at the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, said in a news release from the center. "We already know what causes many types of cancer, but until now, we had few clues to the causes of myeloma," he added. He and colleagues from 20 major research institutions examined genomes of both tumor and normal blood cells in 38 people with multiple myeloma. "We have developed the most comprehensive molecular picture of myeloma to date, which ... Read more
Related support groups: Multiple Myeloma
Blood Cancer Advances May Improve Survival
Posted 6 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
SATURDAY, Dec. 4 – Advances in the treatment of blood cancers offer new hope for increased survival, according to two studies scheduled to be presented at the American Society of Hematology meeting Saturday in Orlando, Fla. Results from one study suggest that treating multiple myeloma patients with zoledronic acid can improve survival, while another group of researchers are scheduled to report on their progress in treating a particularly aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Zoledronic acid, a type of bisphosphonate, is given to myeloma patients to bolster bone health and reduce the risk for fracture and bone pain that are a common feature of the disease. Although prior research has suggested that zoledronic acid (brand names include Zometa and Reclast) may have a broader anti-cancer effect, the current study finds that a well-tolerated regimen of the drug can reduce ... Read more
Related support groups: Reclast, Multiple Myeloma, Zometa, Aclasta, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Zoledronic Acid
Combo Therapy Helps Multiple Myeloma Patients
Posted 12 Dec 2008 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Dec. 12 – A new combination of medicines designed to boost immune function can help some multiple myeloma patients, according to interim results from an ongoing Mayo Clinic study. The researchers found that combining a new immunomodulatory drug called pomalidomide with dexamethasone (pom/dex) improved or stabilized disease in 76 percent of multiple myeloma patients who'd relapsed after previous treatment. Multiple myeloma, a cancer that begins in white blood cells called plasma cells, affects about three in 100,000 people per year. There is no cure, but the disease can be managed. Immunomodulatory drugs interfere with cancer cell growth and stimulate the immune system to attack cancer cells. The Mayo study began in November 2007 and has enrolled 60 patients, who took 2 milligrams of pomalidomide orally a day for a 28-day cycle and 40 mg of dexamethasone orally on days 1, 8, 15 ... Read more
Related support groups: Multiple Myeloma
Combination Therapy Helps to Combat Myeloma
Posted 27 Aug 2008 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27 – Patients with multiple myeloma who could not tolerate high dose chemotherapy lived longer and better by adding the drug Velcade to standard treatment, a new study found. The finding could make multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood's plasma cells, a chronic rather than a lethal disease. And it would be particularly valuable to older patients and those with medical conditions that preclude them from receiving high doses of the standard drug therapies melphalan and prednisone, or a transplant, experts said. "The addition of bortezomib (Velcade) resulted in significant prolongation in time to disease progression with a reduction of 52 percent in risk of progression," said lead researcher Dr. Jesus F. San Miguel, of the Hospital Universitario de Salamanca in Spain. "There was also a significant prolongation of survival, with a 40 percent reduction in the risk of ... Read more
Related support groups: Multiple Myeloma, Velcade
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Related Condition Support Groups
Osteolytic Bone Lesions of Multiple Myeloma, Myeloproliferative Disorders
Related Drug Support Groups
dexamethasone, Decadron, Revlimid, Cytoxan, Adriamycin, thalidomide, Velcade, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, view more... doxorubicin, Alkeran, melphalan, Doxil, Thalomid, Adrenocot, Oncovin, Dexone, Dexasone LA, Dexone LA, Medidex LA, Primethasone, Dexacorten, Medidex, Adriamycin RDF, Dalalone, Decaject, Baycadron, Mozobil, Dexasone, Adriamycin PFS, Dexpak Taperpak, Cytoxan Lyophilized, BiCNU, Gliadel, Neosar, plerixafor, lenalidomide, carmustine, doxorubicin liposomal, Vincasar PFS, bortezomib, Solurex, De-Sone LA, Dexacen-4, Solurex LA, Hexadrol, Decadron-LA, Dexacort-LA