A recent study conducted in China demonstrated that the addition of Velcade to initial thalidomide-dexamethasone treatment confers a low risk of blood clot complications to newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.

The researchers suggested that medication for the prevention of blood clots is not needed in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients receiving the combination treatment. However this recommendation was limited to Chinese patients only because the study was conducted in a population of Chinese patients.  

The findings cannot be conclusively …

This article is the second in a three-part series about caring for a loved one with multiple myeloma. The first article provides an introduction to caring for a cancer patient as well as resources for caregivers. The second article provides practical tips for caregivers, and the third article will explain the tolls of being a caregiver.

When Lori Puente’s husband Dave was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2008, she decided that she would need to take time off from work …

Enduring cancer treatment—especially early on—can be painful and lonely. Having a great caregiver helps. But even then, a cancer patient often spends many hours alone getting x-rays, MRI’s and IV’s.

The one constant and saving grace for me has always been an oncology nurse. And I have had more than one good one, mind you. Wherever I have been treated, I have always received thoughtful, excellent care.

My nurses over the years have served as friends and counselors. They …

This article is the first in a three-part series about caring for a loved one with multiple myeloma. The first article provides an introduction to caring for a cancer patient as well as resources for caregivers. The second article will provide practical tips for caregivers, and the third article will explain the tolls of being a caregiver.

In October 2008, Dianna Allred’s husband, Mark, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma after suffering a severe spine fracture.

As Mark’s pain increased dramatically …

A follow-up analysis of recent trial results suggests that reducing Velcade administration from twice weekly to once weekly when given in combination with melphalan, prednisone, and thalidomide reduces side effects in elderly multiple myeloma patients.  The less frequent administration did not affect the efficacy of the treatment.

The researchers had reported earlier this summer that the addition of thalidomide (Thalomid) to Velcade (bortezomib), melphalan (Alkeran), and prednisone (referred to as VMPT), followed by long-term treatment with …

The results of a recent Phase 2 trial indicate that Velcade-doxorubicin-dexamethasone treatment can reverse multiple myeloma-associated kidney damage in myeloma patients suffering from kidney failure. The regimen also improved patients’ disease statuses and was associated with few severe side effects.

Multiple myeloma affects plasma cells, a subset of white blood cells that fight infections by producing antibody. In multiple myeloma patients, cancerous plasma cells produce one kind of abnormal antibody.

In some myeloma patients, this abnormal antibody binds to a …

I had been putting off seeing a doctor for over a year. Not my oncologist, mind you. I’m talking about my primary care physician—or family doctor.

As soon as I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma three and a half years ago, my primary care physician, Dr. Carrie Smith, stepped aside, turning all of my care over to my medical oncologist and myeloma specialist.

It’s hard to argue with that—fighting multiple myeloma requires a doctor who devotes their full time to …