A 30 mg monthly dose of the bisphosphonate Aredia prevents bone disease as effectively as a 90 mg dose in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients, according to a recent Nordic study. The study also found that the lower dose resulted in fewer side effects than the higher dose.

Based on their findings, the researchers recommended 30 mg Aredia be administered to multiple myeloma patients for the prevention of bone disease.

“I believe that our study can lead to a reduction in …

On Monday night, I attended a National Hockey League game here in Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Bay Lightning played the Dallas Stars at an event billed as “Hockey Fights Cancer Night.”

Modeled loosely after the National Football League's breast cancer awareness program—you know, the one that has all of the players wearing pink shoes and hats—this promotion wasn't as big a deal.

No pink skates or helmets to be found. There were a few public announcements and banners. Young girls …

The International Myeloma Working Group, comprised of many of the world’s top myeloma experts, recently published a report that evaluated the use of key proteins to assess the severity of multiple myeloma-related bone disease. The group determined that some of these proteins are useful in monitoring bone metabolism and skeletal complications during myeloma treatments.

The majority of multiple myeloma patients suffer from bone disease. Approximately 20 percent of patients experience a fracture at the time of their myeloma diagnosis, and …

I don’t know about you, but I’m not too clear-headed about the appointment where I got my initial myeloma diagnosis.

First of all, I suppose I should have taken it as an ominous sign when the hematologist/oncologist’s office called me and asked if I could be there in an hour.

Basically, this is really all I recall:

We went into the exam room, and the doctor sat on his little wheeled stool. Linda (my wife) and I sat …

The results of a recent Phase 2 clinical trial indicate that the new drug Istodax, administered alone, is unlikely to achieve a significant response rate in therapy-resistant multiple myeloma patients. However, the results indicate that that Istodax may help stabilize M-protein production, resolve high calcium levels, or reduce bone pain in some multiple myeloma patients.

Istodax (romidepsin) is a cyclic peptide that inhibits an enzyme in cancer cells known as histone deacetylase (HDAC). By inhibiting HDAC, Istodax disrupts the cell …

On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that long-term use of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis places patients at a possible risk for atypical thigh bone fractures. The FDA plans to add this warning to its Medication Guide and to the prescribing information for bisphosphonates approved for the treatment of osteoporosis. The warning will not apply to bisphosphonates typically used in the treatment of multiple myeloma or other cancers.

According to Dr. Craig Hofmeister of the Ohio State University Medical Center, myeloma patients taking …

Over the years, I have heard a large number of patients—and especially caregivers—aggressively defend their anti-myeloma therapy and treatment center choices.

At first I was confused by this. I didn't understand why others could become so upset and defensive over different therapy choices.

But the truth is: nearly every multiple myeloma patient and caregiver today has been placed in a horribly unfair and difficult position.

I'm not talking about our cancer—of course that isn’t fair! But I'm talking about …