Phil Brabbs, a software product manager and former kicker for the University of Michigan football team, was diagnosed with smoldering multiple myeloma the day after his 28th birthday. “At 28, looking at my son who was two, you think, ‘Will this kid ever remember me?’ It was really frightening,” he said.

“To get a cancer diagnosis when it seems like you’re doing everything right – you don’t smoke, you drink modestly, you exercise – it was quite shocking. But I …

The preliminary findings of a Phase 3 trial suggest that Revlimid (lenalidomide) improves the complete response rate in multiple myeloma patients who had undergone an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Researchers presented the results of the trial at the American Society of Hematology’s annual meeting in December 2009.

In mid-January, Celgene further announced that, based on an interim analysis reviewed by an independent committee, the Phase 3 trial has met an additional primary endpoint. Patients on Revlimid showed better …

The results of a recent Phase 3 clinical trial indicate that treatment with high-dose melphalan (Alkeran) prior to a stem cell transplant results in a longer period of remission for myeloma patients than treatment with reduced-intensity melphalan. The differences in remission duration were larger for patients younger than 60 years old.

Based on the significant difference in progression-free survival between the two treatment groups, the researchers concluded that high-dose (200 mg/m²) melphalan is more effective in preparing younger, medically …

The findings of a new study suggest that a combination regimen of Velcade (bortezomib), thalidomide (Thalomid), and prednisone, abbreviated as VTP, is as effective as the standard combination of Velcade, melphalan (Alkeran), and prednisone, abbreviated as VMP, in the treatment of elderly patients with multiple myeloma. The trial also discovered that the addition of maintenance therapy led to increased response rates. Researchers presented their Phase 3 study results at the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) 51st …

Dr. Robert Kyle, a leading myeloma physician, researcher, and professor at the Mayo Clinic, spoke with The Myeloma Beacon about his approach to treating multiple myeloma patients; participation in clinical trials; many of the key issues for myeloma patients and physicians, including conventional and alternative treatment options; and the future of personalized medicine.

This article is the second part of a two-part series based on the Beacon’s conversations with Dr. Kyle. It will cover the role of clinical trials and …

Blood cancer patients who are treated with allogeneic cell transplants are less likely to experience severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) if their donors take statins, a commonly-used class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, according to a study published in the journal Blood in December. Because they also found that statins don’t reduce the therapeutic effects of the transplant, the authors of the study suggested that statins may be an effective preventative treatment for acute GVHD.

Allogeneic transplants “may very well” increase in …

A recent study compared out-of-pocket costs for multiple myeloma patients in the United States being treated with Velcade (bortezomib), Revlimid (lenalidomide), thalidomide (Thalomid), or another chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The results were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Meeting on December 5.

This study looked at approximately 1,900 multiple myeloma patients who filed claims with a national health insurance company. Researchers looked at out-of-pocket costs for each patient for a period of one year after …