The results of a small, retrospective study indicate that donor stem cell trans­plan­ta­tion may be effective and well tolerated in multiple myeloma patients who have a deep response to initial therapy.

Specifically, the researchers found that for the majority of patients, stem cell trans­plan­ta­tion deepened their initial response to a complete or stringent com­plete response.

Two years following transplantation, three-quarters of the patients were disease-free, which according to the researchers shows that donor transplantation may be a good tool for …

After my last column, in which I described how I recently felt strong enough to try practicing yoga, I realized that there have been many changes in my life since my myeloma diagnosis four years ago.

Although no one would want to be handed a diagnosis of any kind of cancer, including multiple myeloma, I managed to scrape through the tough times. Now I have emerged onto a clear plateau of being in a remission, and I no longer need …

Anyone living with multiple myeloma knows that the emotional hurdles faced can seem as formidable as the physical challenges.

Despite nearly five years of trying to maintain an upbeat outlook on life while sparring with myeloma, I still wrestle with the fact that there are circumstances that I can’t control and mountains that I can’t seem to move.

And just when I hit a low point, something happens to rejuvenate my spirits.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, Sophie G., a …

A recent retrospective study finds that initial treatment with Revlimid may not prevent myeloma patients from collecting enough stem cells for transplantation.

Many of the study's results confirm the findings of previous research, which has shown that Revlimid (lenalidomide) reduces a patient's ability to mobilize stem cells for stem cell collection (see related Beacon news).

However, only 2 percent of the patients in the new study were unable to mobilize enough stem cells for at least a single transplant, and this …

“Your myeloma is stable.”  Short, sweet music to my ears!

I’m not sure she realized it, but my myeloma specialist had just opened up a world of possibilities for me.

Two years ago, I relapsed for the first time.  After taking a year-and-a-half to finally achieve remission again, all were concerned when I relapsed after ten short weeks.  Now, after three months on Velcade (bortezomib) and dexa­metha­sone (Decadron), I waited to find out if that basic …

Findings from a retrospective study show that there have been significant changes in the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients in the United States since 1999.

In particular, more patients are being treated soon after diagnosis. In recent years, the use of novel agents, such as thalidomide (Thalomid), Velcade (bor­tezomib), and Revlimid (lenalidomide), and stem cell transplantation have be­come more common. At the same time, the use of conventional chemo­ther­a­py, such as melphalan (Alkeran),

During a session at the International Myeloma Workshop (IMW) held in Japan earlier this month, Dr. María-Victoria Mateos of the University Hospital in Sala­manca, Spain, discussed whether smoldering multiple myeloma patients should be actively treated.

The current standard of care is to monitor smoldering myeloma patients and to begin treatment only when their disease progresses to sympto­matic multiple myeloma.

However, in Dr. Mateos's opinion, smoldering myeloma patients who are at high risk of progressing to symptomatic myeloma …