One of the issues that a physician may consider when deciding how to treat a myeloma patient is the impact different treatment options may have on the pa­tient’s bones.

If a patient already has extensive bone damage resulting from multiple myelo­ma, a physician may lean more toward treatments that are believed to halt, or even counteract, the bone destruction the patient has been experiencing.

Previous research has shown that Velcade (bortezomib) may be able to help rebuild the bones …

While living with multiple myeloma, I have learned to expect the unexpected.

In fact, Myelomaville is a land of Great UNexpectations – my sincere apologies to Charles Dickens.

I certainly never expected that my mildly annoying backache, which rather quickly deteriorated into excruciating pain, would usher in a life-altering diagnosis of cancer.

It seemed that I always had something important to do, places to be, schedules to keep, and people to see.  My dance card was perpetually full, but I …

The year 2013 is likely to be remembered as a very good year when it comes to re­search related to multiple myeloma.

Previous years have witnessed re­search shedding new light on existing my­e­lo­ma ther­a­pies, as well as addi­tional re­search about poten­tial new ther­a­pies.

But, in the past, most of the im­por­tant new ther­a­pies that were being re­searched were from existing classes of ther­apy, making them less likely to offer dramatic im­prove­ments in the treat­ment of the dis­ease.

In 2013, not …

Much to my surprise, I’m finishing up this Manhattan Tale from a uniquely Manhattan Tale vantage point.

I’m sitting in the 11th floor of Mt. Sinai Hospital in the day room, with an IV in each arm, looking east over East Harlem. A week ago, I swam a mile without difficulty in a pool beneath Rockefeller Center. Two weeks ago, my wife and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary with family and friends at a lower Manhattan restaurant.

Life is …

Results from a recent study conducted at the Mayo Clinic suggest that the de­gree of complete response a multiple myeloma patient achieves fol­low­ing a stem cell transplant may affect their survival.

In particular, the Mayo researchers found that the five-year overall survival rate was nearly twice as high for patients who achieved a stringent com­plete re­sponse (80 percent), compared to those who achieved a com­plete response (53 percent) or near com­plete response (47 percent).

However, the researchers point out that …

I was in the middle of making dinner a few weeks ago when I got an urgent text from my sister-in-law.

“Did you know Tom Brokaw has multiple myeloma?”

I occasionally hear about celebrities who have multiple myeloma, and I’m always interested in their stories, but this was somehow different. This was stunning. It felt like a friend had been diagnosed.

This was Tom Brokaw! Tom Brokaw, people!

I’m not a creepy stalker. Let me explain. I’ve never technically met, …

There are 206 steps leading up to the street at the F-line subway stop I fre­quent­ly use in New York City. Nine or ten stories deep below the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. That’s one of the things I learned in the year since I started treat­ment for multiple myeloma.

Back on January 30, 2013 I walked up those steps on my way to my first chemo treatment, and I made a vow: I’m going to walk up all of …