Articles Archive for Year 2013
Opinion»
Fellow myeloma patients: Is it ever possible to “forget” your disease?
If you’re having painful symptoms or side effects, or if treatment has turned your normal life upside down, I know the answer is a big, resounding "No." Myeloma is there every second of the day. But what about the times myeloma is smoldering, in remission, or stabilized by drugs? During these times, your everyday life is mostly “normal,” but can you ever really forget?
I usually can’t. Then, this past Christmas season, I suddenly quit thinking about it for …
NewsFlash »
In a recent study conducted in Korea, investigators found that myeloma patients who had higher weights at diagnosis had the longest survival.
Patients who were underweight at diagnosis, on the other hand, had the lowest survival.
The results of the Korean study are similar to those reported by a recent study that examined weight at diagnosis and its impact on survival in U.S. veterans diagnosed with myeloma (see related Beacon news).
In the Korean study, investigators retrospectively analyzed data for 193 myeloma patients who were diagnosed from 1998 to 2012 at a single treatment center. For each patient, the researchers had data that allowed them to calculate the patient's body mass index (BMI) at the time of diagnosis.
BMI is a measure of how overweight, or underweight, a person is. It is calculated based on a person’s height and weight.
The researchers divided the patients in the study into three groups based on their BMI at diagnosis. The first group was patients who were underweight (BMI below 20 kg/m2). The second group was patients who had a healthy weight (BMI of 20 kg/m2 to 24.9 kg/m2). The third group was patients who were overweight (BMI of 25 kg/m2 or above).
Median survival for the patients in the three groups increased as weight at diagnosis increased.
In particular, median survival was 26 months for patients who were underweight, 57 months for patients with a healthy weight, and 76 months for patients who were overweight at diagnosis.
The researchers also found that patients in the study who were underweight at the time of diagnosis had lower hemoglobin levels, higher calcium levels in their blood, and higher rates of kidney failure at diagnosis than the patients in the other two weight categories.
However, even when the researchers controlled for factors such as patient age, disease stage, type of initial treatment, and response to initial treatment, they still found that being underweight at diagnosis had a statistically significant negative impact on a patient's likelihood of survival.
For more information, please refer to the study in the Annals of Hematology (abstract).
Opinion»
The winter solstice occurred this past Saturday. The temperature rose to the high 60’s (close to 20 Celsius) in Manhattan. The warm weather melted the ice in Central Park’s ponds and the layer of snow that had blanketed the grass and the paths the previous weekend.
I was sorry to see the snow and ice disappear. After the snow had first fallen, there were still mallards, geese, and brants swimming on the 106 acre Jacqueline Onassis Reservoir in Central Park. The reservoir, which is 40 feet deep, had not yet …
Holiday»
As the 2013 holiday season reaches it peak, all of us here at The Myeloma Beacon would like to thank you, our readers, for giving us the greatest gift possible: your time. We appreciate your coming to The Beacon and reading our articles, sharing your thoughts about them with us, and discussing them – and many other topics! – in our forums.
The holiday season is a time of many different traditions. It also is a busy time, when it is easy to lose track of the special meaning this …
News»
Results from three clinical trials involving the investigational drug filanesib were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting earlier this month.
The trials evaluated the efficacy of filanesib (ARRY-520) alone and in combination with other agents as potential treatments for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients.
Overall, the trial results presented at ASH confirm existing impressions of filanesib as a promising potential myeloma therapy.
Results of a Phase 2 trial of filanesib with or without low-dose dexamethasone (Decadron) show that 16 percent of …
Opinion»
Even though those of us with multiple myeloma live all across the world, many of our experiences are very similar.
I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma two years ago. Since then I have been in treatment at a major medical center that has one of the leading hematology/oncology departments in Israel, where I live.
I have been an active and involved multiple myeloma patient, engaged with my treatment center's medical staff and all the associated ancillary services. I have also been upfront and forthcoming about my illness with family and …
Opinion»
Sometimes multiple myeloma makes you do strange things.
With a yellow No. 2 pencil and a tablet of Big Chief paper in hand, I began sketching this December’s Myeloma Beacon column while sitting on my covered back porch overlooking a bit of the frosty Ozark woods.
Despite the 30 °F chill and a biting northerly breeze, I was nonetheless comfortable and quite content.
After all, I was within arm’s reach of a mug of steaming hot cocoa laced with cinnamon and a marshmallow. Okay, six marshmallows – but don’t tell …