St. Anthony's Triathlon – The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society  (LLS) will host the St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL on April 26. During the race, participants will swim through Tampa Bay, bike along waterways and harbors, and run through neighborhoods in the area. For more information, visit the LLS Web site.

49th Annual Scientific Meeting Of The British Society For Haematology – The British Society for Haematology will hold its annual conference from April 27 – 29 in Brighton. …

Milestones In Myeloma Therapy – On April 13, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will host a patient program on myeloma at Gilda's Club in Grand Rapids, MI from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. For more information, visit the LLS Web site.

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On March 26, U.S. Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Kay Bailey Hutchison introduced the 21st Century Cancer Access to Life-Saving Early detection, Research and Treatment (ALERT) Act, a comprehensive bill to address the broad issues that the nation faces in combating cancer. Since the National Cancer Act of 1971, this has been the first sweeping cancer legislation to be introduced.

The legislation specifically notes that myeloma and seven other lethal cancers have a five-year survival rate of …

Ask The Expert About Blood Cancers – On April 1, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will host an educational event featuring medical updates on blood cancers. The conference will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Steinbeck Center in Salinas, CA. For more information, visit the LLS Web site.

Blood Cancer Education Series: Getting The Best Cancer Care At Any Age – On April 2, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will sponsor a seminar …

As Revlimid (lenalidomide) and Velcade (bortezomib) have become standard therapies in the treatment of multiple myeloma, managing side effects is important for patients who want to maintain their treatment while minimizing toxicity.

A recent report published in the journal Community Oncology discusses the management of side effects associated with these agents. Overall, the most commonly observed toxic effects include myelosuppression, gastrointestinal effects, peripheral neuropathy, and thromboembolic events.

Myelosuppression is a condition in which bone marrow activity is decreased, …

Hope Conference – On March 7, the seventh annual Cancer Conference will be held at the First Baptist Church in Jackson, MS. This event is free to the public and aims to educate the community of cancer patients, survivors, families, friends, and caregivers. For more information, visit the LLS Web site.

Celebrity Martini Casino Night – On March 7, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will host Beat-the-Odds Celebrity Martini Casino Night to …

In this month’s issue of Blood, researchers report that ionizing radiation is associated with an elevated risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), but that radiation does not lead to progression of the disease to multiple myeloma.

MGUS is a benign condition that affects the plasma cells. Like multiple myeloma, the disease is characterized by elevated levels of the antibody called monoclonal paraprotein, or M-protein. In multiple myeloma these protein levels are significantly raised and other …