Tuesday, February 28, started out like most any other day for me, but little did I know that it was destined to be one for the memory books.

After nearly ten months of aggressive treatment for multiple myeloma in Arkansas and twenty-seven months of weekly maintenance chemo­therapy back home in the Ozarks of southwest Missouri, I had learned, despite my ongoing health issues, to tackle each day with as much gusto as I could muster.

As was the custom, I …

I find myself frequently advising multiple myeloma patients to “get a second opinion from a myeloma specialist before making a major therapy decision.”

You might ask, “Why should I bother to get a second opinion?”

My response is: why not get a second opinion from a myeloma specialist?

But I hear plenty of reasons and excuses.

“There isn't a major cancer center near me.”

“I like and trust my doctor, so why not just do what he or she says?” …

The results of a small Phase 2 study indicate that sequential mainte­nance therapy involving six months of Velcade followed by six months of thalidomide is both effective and tolerable in multiple myeloma patients who have received a stem cell transplant.

The Phase 2 trial was carried out recently at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California.

Many patients in the trial experienced peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage that causes pain and tingling in the extremities).

However, the City …

One of the most difficult questions in oncology is: “How long do I have to live?”

Patients often bring this up to their physicians following a diagnosis of cancer, and periodically during the course of their disease.

Of course, this is an impossible question to answer because we as physicians can seldom predict what the future holds for a particular patient. We can prob­a­bly estimate averages, but no patient is average; everyone is unique. Faced with this dilemma, each physician …

Results of a small study recently conducted at Johns Hopkins University indicate that Revlimid may boost vaccine responses in multiple myeloma patients.

Based on these results, the researchers who organized the study believe Revlimid could be used as part of a strategy to increase immune responses against both cancer and infectious diseases.

The researchers also argue that Revlimid may help reduce infections in myeloma patients being treated with the drug.  Infections are an important challenge for myeloma patients due to …

I recently watched a video talk by social work research professor Brené Brown about her study of “the power of vulnerability.” It turns out that people who are most fulfilled approach their lives with “wholeheartedness.” The courage to be imperfect and admit vulnerability leads to greater wellbeing.

Living with multiple myeloma is an excellent place to experience vulnerability, as being diagnosed with this disease puts a damper on any sort of idealized self-image — the idea of “perfect health.”

There …

Results of a recent small German study indicate that high cut-off hemodialysis combined with chemotherapy may help restore kidney function in multiple myeloma patients with a serious form of kidney failure called acute kidney injury.

In addition, the researchers found that myeloma patients were more likely to recover kidney function if they received treatment soon after their kidneys began to fail.

Based on these results, Dr. Katja Weisel, one of the study investigators from the University of Tübingen, recommends that …