A group of multiple myeloma experts from the International Myeloma Working Group recently published a review of management strategies for drug-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma.

This Beacon article, the second in a three-part series, summarizes the experts’ recommendations for the treatment of drug-induced peripheral neuropathy.

The first article in the series describes peripheral neuropathy and summarizes the symptoms of drug-induced neuropathy as well as the risk of developing neuropathy associated with myeloma therapies.  A third …

“Mini” donor stem cell transplantation using stem cells from an unrelated donor may be feasible in multiple myeloma patients, according to the results of a recent small French study.

Results of the study showed that the estimated two-year overall and progression-free survival rates were similar between myeloma patients who received stem cells from a related donor and patients who received stem cells from an unrelated donor.

Based on these findings, the French researchers suggest that myeloma patients may benefit from …

A group of multiple myeloma experts from the International Myeloma Working Group recently published a review of management strategies for drug-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma.

This Beacon article, the first in a three-part series describes peripheral neuropathy and summarizes the symptoms of drug-induced neuropathy as well as the risk of developing neuropathy associated with myeloma therapies.

A second Beacon article will discuss the experts’ recommendations for the treatment of drug-induced peripheral neuropathy, and …

Results of a small Australian study show that patients with the myeloma precursor diseases monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and smoldering multiple myeloma experienced reduced levels of free light chains while taking curcumin.

Free light chains are proteins in the blood that are known to be linked to myeloma cell activity.

The Australian researchers also found that patients had reduced levels of bone breakdown while taking curcumin.

“A number of the patients in this study did show a …

Results of a recent small German study indicate that high cut-off hemodialysis combined with chemotherapy may help restore kidney function in multiple myeloma patients with a serious form of kidney failure called acute kidney injury.

In addition, the researchers found that myeloma patients were more likely to recover kidney function if they received treatment soon after their kidneys began to fail.

Based on these results, Dr. Katja Weisel, one of the study investigators from the University of Tübingen, recommends that …

According to the results of a recent large Swedish study, patients with the myeloma precursor disease monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance may have a higher risk of developing infections than the general population.

The researchers found that patients with monoclonal gammopathy of unde­termined significance (MGUS) were more than twice as likely as the general population to develop either a bacterial or viral infection.

However, they found infections did not increase an MGUS patient’s risk of progressing to multiple myeloma.

The …

Results of a recent study suggest that high-risk multiple myeloma patients who have chromosomal abnormalities known as trisomies have better survival outcomes than high-risk patients without them.

“Our findings allow us to further trim down the proportion of patients with truly high-risk disease, thus allowing us to concentrate on those patients and improve their outcome,” said Dr. Shaji Kumar of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and lead author of the study.

Based on their results, the researchers recommended a …