I am writing this column on Friday, November 22, as I try to distract myself from a bunch of medical procedures scheduled for the Tuesday before Thanksgiv­ing: a bone marrow biopsy (ouch!), a skeletal scan, and a host of tests in preparation for enrollment in a clinical trial.

This clinical trial (my second) has prompted me to learn yet another new bio­log­ical term – “kinesin spindle protein” (KSP).  KSP, I have learned, is involved in the division of cells, and …

For me, November will always remind me of harvest time – my stem cell harvest time.

Six years ago this month, my family and I spent three weeks at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, so I could undergo stem cell collection. I wasn’t yet ready for a transplant, but my doctor wanted me to collect enough stem cells for three autologous stem cell transplants and then freeze and store them for future use.

During those three weeks at Mayo, …

A new retrospective study by Emory University researchers may stir de­bate about the best way to treat high-risk myeloma patients.

The researchers investigated treating high-risk myeloma patients for up to three years with a combination of Revlimid, Velcade, and dex­a­meth­a­sone.

The extended three-drug ther­a­py, which the authors describe as a com­bined con­sol­i­da­tion/​main­te­nance regimen, was initiated after the pa­tients had re­ceived a stem cell transplant.  The patients' transplants were car­ried out soon after completion of the first (induction) treat­ment reg­i­men fol­low­ing …

As The Beacon continues its ‘ASH Preview’ series about myeloma re­search that will be presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in early December, this article focuses on novel im­muno­therapy approaches that are being studied in clinical trials.

Abstracts for the ASH presentations are now available, although many contain pre­lim­i­nary information that will be updated at the meet­ing.

The Beacon’s ASH preview articles are intended to highlight the meet­ing’s most interesting myeloma-related studies. …

When we are diagnosed with multiple myeloma, we find that we have to con­front our own mortality. Since it’s something we all face, I thought I’d share some thoughts on the topic.

Some may find this a bit morbid.  I don’t blame them.  Nobody really likes to talk about death and dying.  Especially their own.

I prefer to write about more cheerful topics, but one can’t be cheerful all the time.  Today’s not particularly cheerful either for that matter.  Like …

The Beacon con­tinues today with its ‘ASH preview’ series about mye­lo­ma re­search that will be pre­sented at the American Society of Hema­tol­o­gy (ASH) meet­ing in early December.

Abstracts for the ASH presentations are now avail­able, although many con­tain pre­lim­i­nary in­­for­ma­tion that will be updated at the meet­ing.

The Beacon’s ASH preview articles are in­tended to highlight the meet­ing's most in­ter­est­ing myeloma-related studies.

The first and second previews, published earlier this week and last week, provide an overview of ASH abstracts about the newest …

I don’t do book clubs.

Don’t get me wrong. I like the idea of book clubs. But I am a terrible member. The last book club I belonged to was made up of five to six women whom I knew, all bright, articulate, avid readers. A match made in heaven, or so it would seem.

The very first meeting I attended, when we sat down together to discuss a wildly popular, best selling novel that I loathed, the discussion went …