A research review found that for patients with smoldering, or asymptomatic, multiple myeloma, beginning treatment immediately after diagnosis did not increase life span as compared to holding off treatment until cancer symptoms appeared. The analysis also found that early treatment had no impact on response to treatment, but it did delay progression of the disease.

The results of the article, which was published in the journal Cancer Treatment Review, confirm that people with smoldering multiple myeloma may be able …

One of the first things you learn with a multiple myeloma diagnosis is that your life as you knew it is irrevocably changed.

That’s true, I suppose, with any cancer, but it’s especially so for a disease that falls into that vague “not curable but treatable” category.

I see that phrase constantly these days in newspaper and web articles about myeloma, and I find some pretty dark humor in it. It makes it sound as if myeloma is just something …

In a recent Phase 3 study, low-molecular weight heparin, warfarin, and aspirin were found to equally prevent the formation of venous blood clots in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who received thalidomide as part of their initial treatment.

The results of this Phase 3 study were presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

While the three drugs were equally effective in the prevention of blood clots, Dr. Antonio Palumbo of the University of Turin, Italy, suggested …

A recent study suggests that relapsed/refractory myeloma patients with abnormal plasma cells in the blood prior to therapy have a more aggressive form of multiple myeloma. Furthermore, the study authors speculated that if the number of abnormal plasma cells did not decrease following one cycle of therapy, it may be indicative of treatment resistance.

These findings were presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) meeting in Barcelona, Spain, last month.

Multiple myeloma is a disease characterized by abnormal plasma cells. …

As a multiple myeloma patient, it can be difficult discussing our cancer with other people. It’s not that it’s hard to talk about myeloma, but it’s hard to know how much to share or not share – how much does the other person really want to know?

I had a somewhat unique experience of knowing a multiple myeloma patient before my myeloma diagnosis.

Loren Liedl was a dear friend of mine. He was a quiet family man who lived …

The results of a study comparing the outcomes of multiple myeloma patients receiving Velcade as part of their initial therapy suggest that certain chromosomal abnormalities influence patient responses to Velcade.  The results also indicate that Velcade may be particularly effective in delaying progression of myeloma in patients with chromosomal abnormalities.

The findings were presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

The study aimed to shed light on the controversial issue regarding appropriate initial therapy regimens, also …

A recent study reported that long-term surviving myeloma patients are generally younger and have received and responded well to treatment with conventional chemotherapy. Dr. M. Kraj of the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine in Warsaw, Poland, presented the findings at the European Hematology Association (EHA) meeting in Barcelona last month.

Dr. Kraj and her colleagues aimed to identify common clinical and laboratory features in long-term surviving myeloma patients, as these may assist physicians in determining an accurate prognosis for …