Opinion: Kadian, A Little-Known Pain Drug – In the latest article published in the opinion section of the Myeloma Beacon, Lori Puente, whose husband Dave is a myeloma patient, writes about Dave’s experiences managing pain after a T8 vertebra fracture in 2008. Dave had been on a fentanyl patch as well as two oral pain drugs, but did not respond well to these drugs. Lori requested that Dave’s doctor prescribe Kadian, a morphine sulfate extended-release oral pain drug, based on a recommendation from an internal medicine physician. Lori describes in her article how Kadian has helped Dave manage his pain. To receive a copy of all opinion articles when they are published or if you are interested in contributing an opinion piece, please send an email to .

Geraldine Ferraro Dies Of Myeloma-Related Complications – Geraldine A. Ferraro, the first female U.S. vice-presidential candidate, died of myeloma-related complications at the age of 75 on Saturday. She was diagnosed with smoldering myeloma in November 1998 at the age of 63. She progressed to active myeloma in June 2000 and has since been treated by Dr. Kenneth Anderson at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She first received treatment with thalidomide (Thalomid). When that stopped working for her, she participated in a clinical trial for Revlimid (lenalidomide). She then received a stem cell transplant in 2005, followed by Velcade (bortezomib) maintenance therapy.

Ferraro did not disclose her disease until June 2001 when she testified on behalf of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in front of Congress for the passage of the Hematological Cancer Research Investment and Education Act, which was aimed at expanding blood cancer research and cancer education. Since then, Ferraro has been an avid advocate of raising awareness about the disease. In addition, she was an honorary board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

MMRF Patient Seminar On Clinical Insights To Be Held In Short Hills, NJ – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is hosting a seminar on April 2 for multiple myeloma patients to learn about treatment options and to ask questions for myeloma experts. Topics include treatment for newly diagnosed patients, stem cell transplantation, relapsed/refractory treatments, supportive care options, and clinical trials. The seminar is chaired by Dr. David Siegel and Dr. David Vesole from the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, NJ. For more information or to register, please visit the MMRF website.

British Society For Haematology 51^st Annual Meeting – The British Society for Haematology will be holding its 51^st annual meeting at the Brighton Centre from April 4 to April 6. Myeloma-related talks include adopting myeloma protocols in high-risk settings, the diagnosis and management of myeloma, and future advances in myeloma treatment. For more information, please see the British Society for Haematology website.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.