Vitamin D and calcium supplements may be used together to prevent cancer, including multiple myeloma, according to an article in the September issue of the journal Anticancer Research.

Many scientists cite vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for several types of cancer. In fact, research has indicated that people who maintain high levels of vitamin D may reduce their risk of breast cancer by up to 70 percent. Other studies have established a significant inverse relationship between UV-B exposure …

A new drug designed to assist in stem cell transplants will be studied in a Phase 2 clinical trial. TG-0054, created by TaiGen Biotechnology, was effective at moving stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood during the Phase 1 trial.

This drug may help patients collect enough stem cells for stem cell transplantion. Patients suffering from disorders of the blood, bone marrow, or certain cancers receive stem cells, which repopulate the depleted bone marrow with new, healthy blood …

On September 22, Dr. Antonio Pinto of the National Cancer Institute in Naples, Italy announced that two doses of Aloxi (palonosetron) are more effective than one at preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea. He presented his results at the European Cancer Organization and European Society for Medical Oncology’s joint conference in Berlin.

Dr. Pinto studied 60 cancer patients, including some with multiple myeloma, who were being treated with chemotherapy. All patients received one dose of Aloxi, approved by the Food and Drug Administration …

A recent study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases evaluates the infection risk presented by different multiple myeloma therapies. The authors conclude that while current therapies, particularly high-dose regimens and novel agents, improve the outcomes of patients with myeloma, they also introduce a much greater risk of infection.

Myeloma impairs the quality and quantity of immune system proteins that an individual produces. As a result, more than 75 percent of myeloma patients will experience marked immune system depression, becoming vulnerable to …

Doctors have several different techniques at their disposal for diagnosing multiple myeloma and detecting bone disease. A new study, “Role of radiography, MRI and FDG-PET/CT in diagnosing, staging and therapeutical evaluation of patients with multiple myeloma,” suggests newer imaging techniques are better for diagnosis than traditional X-rays. The study, published September 18 in Annals of Hematology, examined several different imaging methods.

Reinier Raymakers, a coauthor of the study, noted better diagnosis techniques could lead to earlier treatment.

“You can prevent …

On Monday, Amgen released results from its Phase 3 clinical trial that compared denosumab with Zometa (zoledronic acid) in multiple myeloma patients and advanced cancer patients whose tumors have spread to the bone. The results indicated that denosumab delayed skeletal related events in this group of cancer patients.

Bone tumors often weaken and destroy the bone surrounding the tumor, resulting in serious complications that include bone fractures, spinal cord compression, the need for radiation, and the …

A recent Phase 2 study, published in the journal Bone Marrow Transplantation, evaluated Mozobil’s (plerixafor) ability to mobilize stem cells from the bone marrow into the blood without increasing the mobility of tumor cells in multiple myeloma patients.

One common treatment option available to eligible myeloma patients is high dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation. Before chemotherapy, the patient’s own stem cells are collected by peripheral blood apheresis, which looks and feels similar to a routine blood …