As we draw nearer to Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking about how mye­loma patients will spend the holi­day. I suspect that many of you will be with family and friends, and some of you may have some bedside cele­bra­tions with your hospital staff.

Now that myeloma has entered your world, I wonder if you see the holi­days in a new light – illuminating less of what’s on the table, and more of who’s sitting at it.

I know it has for …

In August I wrote a column titled "Reflections." In that column, I dealt with the question of what the worst part about having multiple myeloma was.

Personally and professionally, I am now going through a far more reflective stage in my life than I was then.

In six weeks, I will retire from my position as a school superintendent. After 37 and a half years in education, there are plenty of memories to reflect on. Because of the fact …

The United States Food and Drug Admin­istra­tion (FDA) has approved ixazomib for the treat­ment of multiple myeloma.

The drug will be marketed under the brand name Ninlaro. It should be avail­able in U.S. pharmacies by the middle of next month, according to a spokesperson from Takeda Oncology, the com­pany that developed Ninlaro and will be mar­ket­ing it globally.

Ninlaro is the second new multiple myeloma ther­apy approved by the FDA this week. The agency on Monday announced …

The European Commission has approved Kyprolis (car­filz­o­mib) for the treat­ment of multiple myeloma.

The approval means that, for the first time, myeloma patients in Europe will be able to be treated with Kyprolis without having to enroll in a clinical trial.

Although Kyprolis was approved in the United States more than three years ago, the Phase 2 clinical trial that was the basis for that approval was not sufficient for a European approval. Additional data …

Earlier this month, I held my third cancer party.

I threw my first cancer party when I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma 11 years ago. It was a big party. A really big party. It went on for hours, everyone brought food and drinks, and people were packed against the walls of my apartment.

What a great night.

Almost three years ago, when I relapsed and started Velcade (bortezomib), I threw another cancer party. I had lost physical …

The United States Food and Drug Admin­istra­tion (FDA) has approved dara­tumu­mab for the treat­ment of multiple myeloma. The drug will be mar­keted under the brand name Darzalex. It is ex­pec­ted to be avail­able at U.S. treat­ment centers and doctor’s offices within two weeks.

The FDA approved Darzalex for use in multiple myeloma patients who have pre­viously been treated with drugs in both the immuno­modu­la­tory and protea­some inhibitor classes of ther­a­pies. Drugs in the immuno­modu­latory class in­clude …

Sometimes I wish I could just forget about myeloma and put it in the past as a difficult chapter in my life.

I was pretty close to forgetting about it during the three and a half years when I was in remission and did not need any treatment.

That period ended a year ago when I relapsed and started treatment again with a daily dose of 25 mg of Revlimid (lenalidomide) and a weekly dose of 20 mg …