A group of Italian researchers recently showed that consolidation therapy with Velcade, thalidomide, and dexamethasone was more effective than consolidation therapy with thalidomide and dexamethasone alone.

In particular, they found that the Velcade-based consolidation therapy yielded more high-quality responses, such as complete responses, and a high rate of molecular remission, in which patients showed no signs of remaining myeloma cells.

Dr. Michele Cavo from the Seragnoli Institute of Hematology in Bologna, Italy, presented the results at the 16^th Congress of …

I thought I’d share with you a bit of the story about multiple myeloma and me.

Mostly, I’ve resisted conveying this tale, but I realized lately that when I meet people with myeloma for the first time, we quickly start talking about how we learned we had the disease and how we’ve been treated.

If I’ve learned anything from these talks it is that we are all so different – with treatments that can be widely divergent, and with greatly …

Results of a recent study show that the presence of residual cancer cells and chromosomal abnormalities are strong predictors of early relapse in multiple myeloma patients who achieve a complete response after undergoing stem cell transplantation.

The results were presented last week by Dr. Bruno Paiva, from the Salamanca Hospital Complex in Spain and lead author of the study, at the 16^th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in London. The authors recommended that myeloma patients with chromosomal abnormalities …

Isn’t it amazing what a multiple myeloma patient can learn to endure?  I’m so much tougher than I was four years ago when I started my myeloma journey.

But despite all of the drugs, pokes, sticks, and tests I have been forced to endure, one thing I had yet to do was learn to give myself an injection—and the thought had always petrified me!

Let me back up a bit.

I have been taking Revlimid (lenalidomide) orally for over …

As the myeloma community continues to investigate whether stem cell transplantation or novel agents is the best way to treat newly diagnosed myeloma patients, recent results from a Phase 3 clinical trial indicate that stem cell transplantation may lead to longer disease-free survival.

The results from this study show that more multiple myeloma patients who received a stem cell transplant were alive and disease-free after 24 months compared to patients treated with Revlimid in combination with conventional chemotherapy.

The transplanted …

When I finished with my stem cell transplant in September of 2006, I had achieved a very good partial response and my monoclonal protein level (M-spike) was down from 7.5 at diagnosis to 0.5. My doctor seemed happy, but in truth I was not.  I was disappointed I didn’t achieve a complete response.

In an attempt to reduce stress, I returned to work on a somewhat reduced schedule compared to what I was used to doing before getting sick.

I …

The feedback received from my first column – My Sister Has What?!?! – has been a great comfort to me and my family.  While I doubt that anyone welcomes the opportunity to join the world of cancer, the support among patients and caregivers is all that I had heard it was.  Thus, I begin by saying a heartfelt thank you to those who have reached out.

As I write this, Team Beat the H*ll Outta Multiple Myeloma (BTHO MM) marks …