Molecular Genetics in Myeloma from Diagnosis to Treatment - Rafael Fonseca, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Deputy Director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center will give a talk on the role of molecular genetics in multiple myeloma. This event will happen on Thursday, December 18, at 9 a.m. at the Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University in New York City.  For more information, please see the Myeloma Center.

Lunch and Learn Cancer Workshop - Dr. Hendrik van Deventer, …

Howard Hughes Awardees To Use UCSF Cell Discovery to Target Cancer - The Howard Hughes Medical Institute awarded $4 million to a team headed by Dr. Peter Walter, an investigator at UCSF. This research team is studying an "unfolded protein response" that helps cells deliver properly folded proteins. Abnormalities in this phenomenon can lead to cancer and are best evidenced in multiple myeloma.  Dr. Walter's team is exploring treatment strategies based on knowledge about how this phenomenon works.

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Research shows that outpatient stem cell transplants have higher survival rates than many inpatient alternatives for multiple myeloma patients.

In one study, only three of 272 patients had died by the 100th day after the transplants. Overall, only a one-percent mortality rate, a fifth of that of inpatient programs, is reported for outpatient programs.

One distinctive representative of outpatient treatment is the Mayo program. Relying on a team managed by two physicians with a staff of nurses and physician assistants, …

Researchers, in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found an increased risk of veinous thromboembolism, or blood clotting, linked to treatment with Avastin (bevacizumab). A venous thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in the vein, a complication that affects many cancer patients. Concerns have arisen about whether or not Avastin contributes to the development of venous thromboembolism.

Avastin is a newly developed antibody commonly used in cancer treatments, including treatment of multiple myeloma. In …

Stein Eriksen Lodge Designates Giving Room to Huntsman Cancer Institute - The Stein Eriksen Lodge at the Utah’s Deer Valley ski resort has designated 10% of the revenues from one of its rooms to benefit the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. Overall, the Lodge hopes to raise $50,000 for Huntsman's “Room to Heal” campaign. The campaign will help Huntsman double its patient capacity, build a new Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant and Myeloma Program, and expand its Cancer …

International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) president and cofounder, Susie Novis, called for all patients to have access to the newest pharmaceuticals in the treatment of multiple myeloma.

"We support efforts that put patients first, support healthcare advances, and work for better outcomes until there is a cure," explained Novis. "While we understand that cost of treatment is always a consideration, we believe society pays a higher price when the most vulnerable people among us - patients with a …