The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has reported that Fosamax (alendronate), a bisphosphonate (BP) used to treat osteoporosis, has been linked to esophageal cancer.

Another study reports that BPs increase the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), a disease resulting from the loss or decrease of blood supply to the bone.

BPs are a class of drugs that reduce the risk of bone fracture and increase bone mass by slowing or stopping the breaking down …

A study presented at the 2008 American Society for Hematology (ASH) meeting reports on a treatment called Tandem Auto/AlloHCT, a combination of stem cell transplants that uses cells from both the multiple myeloma patient and a donor.

In the study, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients first underwent autologous cell transplantation, a procedure in which a patient’s own stem cells are transplanted into his or her bone marrow. This was followed by non-myeloablative allotransplantation, which uses stem cells from a donor …

The impact of venous thrombotic events (VTE) on overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma was examined in a study presented at the 2008 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting.

VTE occurs when a blood clot fully or partially blocks a vein, which carries blood back to the heart.  This can result in deep vein thrombosis (when a deep vein is blocked) or pulmonary embolism (when a clot dislodges and blocks an artery in the lungs).  VTE …

A new drug called perifosine, when given in combination with other drugs, has been shown to be effective against relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Several perifosine studies were presented at the American Society for Hematology (ASH) meeting this year.

Perifosine prevents the growth of myeloma cells by inhibiting the pathway of Akt, a key signaling protein that regulates cellular survival. Perifosine also promotes apoptosis, or programmed cell death, by activating a specific protein pathway called the JNK pathway. …

“Light The Night” Walk Raises Over $150,000 – The Southern New Jersey chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) sponsored a “Light The Night” walk this past October. The event surpassed its $123,000 goal by raising $154,617 for research, patient education, and patient support. Colored balloons honored survivors, supporters, and victims of leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma. For information on walks in your area, please visit the “Light The Night” Web site.

Teachers And Children …

A preliminary study has shown that a technique called multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) can effectively detect cancerous cells that remain in the body after myeloma treatment. The technique could be valuable for predicting the risk of myeloma progression or relapse.

The MFC method can accurately and quickly count the number of cancerous cells in a sample of blood or bone marrow. The sample is first treated with fluorescent antibodies that attach to cancerous cells, which a laser then detects and counts. …

African-Americans in Ohio have a significantly higher risk of developing multiple myeloma than white Ohio residents. This finding, based on data from 2001 to 2005, matches results seen in slightly older data for the entire United States.

Health statisticians use a cancer’s “incidence rate” to measure risk for the cancer within a population. The incidence rate for a specific cancer is the annual number of new cases of that cancer for each 100,000 members of the population. …