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Discussion about multiple myeloma treatments, stem cell transplants, clinical trials, alternative medicines, supplements, and their benefits and side effects.

Re: Cell therapy for leukemia, how about multiple myeloma?

by Beacon Staff on Tue Dec 09, 2014 4:04 pm

There is a lot of background information on CAR-T therapy in this discussion here in forum:

"Pfizer bets on Cellectis (and CAR-T)"

Beacon Staff

Re: Cell therapy for leukemia, how about multiple myeloma?

by Jan Stafl on Tue Dec 09, 2014 4:17 pm

Thank you Nancy for your kind wishes, and a succinct summary of CAR-T therapy. I hope to write a guest column for the Myeloma Beacon, detailing my experience, and reviewing the science behind this novel immunotherapy soon.

Jan Stafl
Name: Jan Stafl MD
Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
When were you/they diagnosed?: July 2011
Age at diagnosis: 54

Re: Cell therapy for leukemia, how about multiple myeloma?

by Terrij on Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:36 pm

There is so much hope coming out with the Car-T cell auto transplants. One of the criteria is that you have to relapse within a year of your transplant. My daughter relapsed 18 months after her transplant.

Now she is preparing for an allo transplant with her brother as the donor. If she does the allo, she would not be eligible in the future for Car-T cell therapy if the allo doesn't work or last.

How do you choose? How do you know what is best? We are overwhelmed with information to pursue. All these drugs are not the answer. She has used Velcade, Revlimid, Kyprolis. The drugs are eating away at her physically, making her weaker & weaker.

Terrij

Re: Cell therapy for leukemia, how about multiple myeloma?

by Nancy Shamanna on Wed Dec 10, 2014 9:19 am

HI Terrij, I think that your daughter is fortunate to have you investigating all these avenues for her care. It is nice that her brother is a match for an allo transplant. Not everyone can find a match, actually, for an allo.

She might not be eligible for clinical trials or something like Car-T, but she could still take other therapies if the allo didn't last long. Anything that was an approved therapy should still be available, for example Pomalyst [pomalidomide]. Maybe some of the newer antibody-type therapies will soon be available to you in the US also.

I hope that you and your myeloma specialists can have a good discussion about this, since it is a cause for concern.

Best wishes, Nancy

Nancy Shamanna
Name: Nancy Shamanna
Who do you know with myeloma?: Self and others too
When were you/they diagnosed?: July 2009

Re: Cell therapy for leukemia, how about multiple myeloma?

by Melpen on Wed Dec 10, 2014 10:35 am

Identifying and activating T-cells to attack and destroy cancer cells is one of the ways researchers think cancer will not only be able to be put into remission but possibly eliminated.

So many exciting things happening. On December 7, 2014 the CBS show 60-minutes ran a story on a billionaire using his own money to fund and do cancer research. He is investigating various strategies to kill off cancer cells. Using T-cells is one of them. He hopes to develop trials and drugs and get them available to cancer patients quickly. The FDA takes 10 years to clear a cancer drug for the public. No cancer patient has that much time to waste!

I have multiple myeloma with amyloidosis that has affected my heart somewhat and nerve and muscle tissue but my kidneys are fine. I am going to a transplant next month. I was told clinical trials won't take myeloma patients with amyloidosis. How sad.

If I relapse after the transplant, I'd love to have the option to get into a clinical trial. Is this is a therapy researchers would try on someone with myeloma with amyloidosis?

Melpen
Name: Melissa
Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb 5, 2014
Age at diagnosis: 57

Re: Cell therapy for leukemia, how about multiple myeloma?

by Melpen on Fri Dec 12, 2014 12:18 am

Dear Dr Jan Stafl,

Please write a column about your experience with CART-19. You are a pioneer of hope!

Melpen
Name: Melissa
Who do you know with myeloma?: myself
When were you/they diagnosed?: Feb 5, 2014
Age at diagnosis: 57

Re: Cell therapy for leukemia, how about multiple myeloma?

by NStewart on Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:47 pm

For anyone who is interested, here is the link to the presentation that Dr. Porter, Abramson Cancer Center, gave at the recent patient / family blood cancer conference in Philadelphia about the altered T-cell transplant that is being trialed with patients with leukemia. It is now being trialed with people with myeloma at Abramson.

If you would like to access all the presentations from this conference, you can go to:

http://www.pennmedicine.org/Abramson/BloodLIVE.

All of the sessions were recorded and can be viewed.

Nancy in Phila

NStewart
Name: Nancy Stewart
Who do you know with myeloma?: self
When were you/they diagnosed?: 3/08
Age at diagnosis: 60

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