Results of a recent small German study indicate that the level of residual myeloma cells in the bone marrow before stem cell transplantation may predict survival in multiple myeloma patients.

Specifically, the study authors found that patients with high levels of residual disease before transplantation had shorter progression-free and overall survival times than patients with low levels of residual disease.

They also found that a high level of residual disease after transplantation was associated with decreased progression-free survival, but not …

I have a dream.

Better yet, I have dreams – plural. I’m not talking about profoundly inspiring dreams like those of Martin Luther King or amazingly prophetic dreams like Joseph, the son of Jacob, had. Unfortunately, I’m not that deep of a thinker.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say: ‘I have daydreams.’

My daydreams seem to launch themselves at times of boredom, extreme fatigue, or when I need a diversion from a task at hand.

Like when I …

My last column, A Call to Action, generated more feedback than the previous three. Clearly, I struck some nerves.

It was great to get more information on the work of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and its efforts toward eradicating blood cancers.  I deeply appreciate all the LLS does and in no way meant to disparage the organization. Rather, I’m envious of the LLS’ visibility and want to achieve the same for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) …

Korean researchers recently found that the percentage of cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow, measured on day 14 post transplant, may predict disease progression in multiple myeloma patients following high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.

However, because their study was small and retrospective in nature, the Korean researchers suggested that further studies be conducted to confirm their findings.

The standard treatment for myeloma patients under the age of 65 years currently consists of high-dose chemotherapy, followed by autologous stem …

Last week I returned home after spending 16 days hospitalized in the Moffitt Cancer Center’s Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Treatment Unit, followed by seven days as an outpatient.

I wanted to wait a week until I felt better and gained some perspective before I shared details with you about my experience undergoing a stem cell transplant as treatment for my relapsed multiple myeloma.

But as it turns out, I’m not the story.  The story is the dozens of fellow stem …

Results of a recent study conducted in the United Kingdom show that elderly and transplant-ineligible multiple myeloma patients who are treated with a reduced-dose combination of cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone as initial therapy achieve a greater overall response rate than patients who are treated with melphalan plus prednisone.

However, patients who received the three-drug combination had comparable overall survival and progression-free survival rates as patients who received melphalan plus prednisone.  Additionally, side effects were more common among patients treated with …

We are all here because of advances in myeloma treatments. We have been given time. Some say we “buy” it—exchange the experience of chemical therapy for time to adapt and grow in the shadow of myeloma. Illness is pushed back so that we can carry on our lives.

I have recently encountered someone who is researching patient survival stories in an effort to write a book that offers hope for the terminally ill, a prognosis that is degrading and not …