Articles Archive for Year 2008
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Pennies For Patients - Between January 2 and February 28, 2009, local New York schools will be participating in Pennies for Patients, a fundraiser supported by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Students are encouraged to collect donations, and schools may raise funds in honor or in loving memory of local blood cancer patients. Funds donated support the LLS’s local blood cancer research and patient aid services. For more information, please visit the LLS Web site.
BRATS New Years Resolution 5K – This race will be held on January 4, 2009, at the Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center in Manassas, VA. The event begins at 8:00 a.m., and the suggested donation is $25. For more information, please visit the LLS Web site.
Percentage Night At McAlister’s Deli – On January 5, 2009, McAlister's Deli is holding a percentage fundraiser at its Fern Creek location in Louisville, KY. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., a percentage of all sales will be donated to the LLS in honor of Ellie Nunn and Cameron Eldridge. No flyer or coupon is needed to participate. For more information, please visit the LLS Web site.
UAMS Makes Major Improvements – The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will be opening a new 540,000 square-foot hospital on January 16, 2009. Other improvements were made in 2008, including an expansion to the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, a comprehensive psychiatric facility, and a two-floor classroom building. The UAMS Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy has begun clinical trials for a new type of myeloma treatment. For more information, please visit the UAMS Web site.
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According to a study by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and Avalere Health, Medicare beneficiaries will be paying more out of their own pockets for cancer therapies in the upcoming year. They will also have more restrictions on access to cancer drugs than they have had in the past. The ACS and Avalere analysis was based on data for about 4,500 Medicare prescription drug plans.
In 2009, most Medicare prescription drug plans will place cancer drugs, including thalidomide (Thalomid), a common drug used in the …
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The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annually reviews key clinical research advances that significantly improve patient care for both new patients and the growing numbers of cancer survivors. The report, compiled by leading oncologists and other cancer specialists, includes research made public from October 2007 to September 2008.
Several important findings have been made in multiple myeloma this year, as well as recognition of key issues that affect all cancers.
- In 2008, there were 19,920 estimated new cases of multiple myeloma and 10,690 estimated deaths.
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Clinical trials using a new, highly targeted radiotherapy are currently being carried out in the United Kingdom. This new treatment will allow patients to be given a higher dose of radiation to destroy cancer cells in the bone marrow without harming healthy cells. The two-year trial at South General Hospital will involve 80 patients, half who will receive the new radiotherapy with chemotherapy and half with just chemotherapy.
There are several types of radiation treatments commonly used with multiple myeloma. Local radiation in high doses (often used in conjunction with …
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At the recent ASH conference, Palumbo and colleagues presented a new induction therapy composed of bortezomib (Velcade), doxurubicin, and dexamethasone that is specifically targeted to elderly patients.
Induction therapy primes patients for complete remission following an autologous stem cell transplant. The most effective treatment thus far is high-dose drug therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant. However, achieving complete remission is especially difficult in elderly patients, often due to multiple conditions, weakened bodies, and treatments that may not be ideal for their age group.
Palumbo and colleagues …
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Two Phase 2 studies presented at this year's ASH conference show that a new treatment regimen achieves 86 percent to 98 percent responsiveness in relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.
Known as Rev/Vel/Dex, the treatment is a cocktail of three commonly prescribed multiple myeloma drugs -- Revlimid (lenalidomide), Velcade (bortezomib), and dexamethasone. Both studies started patients on the same maximum dosage of 25 mg Revlimid, 1.3 mg/m2 Velcade, 20 mg dexamethasone, and dosages were adjusted according to individual responses.
Both relapsed/refractory and newly diagnosed patients responded …
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Diana Krall will host a fundraiser for blood cancer patients on February 16, 2009. Diana will be joined by special guests Elton John, Diana’s husband Elvis Costello, and James Taylor at the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver. This invitation-only charity benefit will raise funds for the Vancouver General Hospital and University of British Columbia Hospital Foundation. These funds will be used towards bettering patient care and innovative research at British Colombia’s Leukemia and Bone Marrow Transplant Program.
The six previous …
