A recent paper published in Lancet Oncology examines drugs that target biological mechanisms in multiple myeloma. This article is the last of three articles discussing new drugs for myeloma treatment.

Cells have correction mechanisms that prevent deleterious proteins from aggregating. Blocking either of these systems leads to an accumulation of toxins proteins in the cell and results in cell death.

Heat-shock Protein Inhibitors

One system that responds to misfolded proteins is heat-shock proteins (HSP). Among their other functions, these proteins …

A recent paper published in Lancet Oncology examines drugs that target biological mechanisms in multiple myeloma. This article is the second of three articles discussing new drugs for myeloma treatment.

Researchers have begun to understand the multi-step process by which myeloma occurs. Key features of this process are signaling pathways, which take information from outside of the cell and from within the cell to create a cascading reaction. While signaling pathways are a part of all cells, they are problematic …

While such drugs as thalidomide (Thalomid), Revlimid (lenalidomide), and Velcade (bortezomib) have been approved to treat multiple myeloma, the disease remains incurable. New studies are targeting different mechanisms of multiple myeloma in order to create better therapies. A recent paper published in "Lancet Oncology" examines drugs that target different biological mechanisms in multiple myeloma. This article will be the first of three articles discussing these new drugs for myeloma.

Multiple myeloma, like other cancers, …

Caring for yourself or a loved one afflicted with multiple myeloma can lead to many questions related to cost. To help ease the burden, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has created a booklet to educate cancer patients on the financial aspects of treatment.

The patient guide breaks down the costs in cancer care, provides a comprehensive list of questions to ask doctors, lists organizations that provide financial assistance, and also gives a checklist to help organize the process. …

A recent study found no link between hair dyes and multiple myeloma. The National Institute of Health, the University at Albany, and Yale University collaborated to conduct the study published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal.

In the past, studies discovered correlations between the use of hair dyes with an elevated risk of cancers like lymphomas and leukemia, possibly due to hair dyes from before 1980 that may have been formulated with suspected carcinogens.

For this study, researchers …

A recent article in the Annals of Oncology discusses how preventive measures can be taken to reduce the occurrence of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in patients taking Zometa. Zometa (zolendronic acid) is a common bisphosphonate (BP) therapy given to treat bone damage due to myeloma, but like other BPs, the medication causes an unwanted side-effect, ONJ.

ONJ occurs when there is a loss of blood supply to the jaw, eventually causing jawbone death. In this study, patients …

Bone fractures and bone disease are two severe complications affecting myeloma patients. However, treatments such as radiation therapy, vertebroplasty, and kyphoplasty are all used to help myeloma patients combat weakening bone formation.

The most common type of lesions that develop in myeloma patients are in the spinal column. Patients may mistake pain from the lesion, often in the lower back and ribs, to be general back pain. One possible cause for the pain is vertebral compression fractures, also known as spinal fractures. …