Articles tagged with: Bisphosphonates

Opinion»

[ by | Nov 24, 2018 1:38 pm | 4 Comments ]
Letters From Cancerland: No Bones About It

After reviewing how long I have had multiple myeloma, my myeloma special­ist this July asked me if I had ever had a bone scan done. When I said no, he suggested I get one to establish a base­line. After so much treat­ment, what were my bones doing?

As we discussed the impact of my myeloma treat­ments, especially steroids, on the bones, he said to talk to my dentist if it turns out that I have bone density issues. I would need a clean dental bill of health before starting any bone strengthening …

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Opinion»

[ by | Mar 9, 2016 9:46 am | 15 Comments ]
Myeloma Lessons: Some Risks Are Not Worth Taking

The de­ci­sions that we must make as cancer patients are all about risk versus reward. If we are told that, without a recommended treat­ment, we will surely die, then the choice is pretty easy, almost re­gard­less of the risk.

But the de­ci­sions that we face are rarely so easy.

Among patients and care­givers, the most hotly debated myeloma treat­ment de­ci­sion is whether or not to undergo a stem cell trans­plant. There are numerous articles on the topic, and the question is the subject of many discussion threads in the Beacon's forum. …

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Opinion»

[ by | May 31, 2015 9:18 am | 22 Comments ]
Myeloma Lessons: This Was A Real Surprise!

“You definitely have ONJ.”

Those were the shocking words that came out of the mouth of my oral surgeon about two months ago. The news that I had osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) was totally unexpected.

Granted, I didn’t just happen to aimlessly wander into an oral surgeon’s office, open my mouth, and ask him what he saw. But I was there to have him rule out ONJ.

Instead, he ruled it in.

But his demeanor and what he said thereafter was equally unexpected. He said that he was not …

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Opinion»

[ by | Mar 18, 2014 3:41 pm | 17 Comments ]
Letters From Cancerland: By The Skin Of My Teeth

Back in December and January, while my oncologist was restaging my myeloma and we were discussing courses of treatment, he suddenly said, “And I want you to go see your dentist and ask him whether he sees you having any major dental work done in the next year.”

The calcium levels in my blood were rising. My oncologist intended to start me on a bisphosphonate, such as Aredia (pamidronate) or Zometa (zoledronic acid), as soon as possible to supplement the calcium that was leaching out of my bone. …

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NewsFlash »

[ by | Oct 14, 2013 4:02 pm | Comments Off ]

Patients With Periodontitis May Be At Increased Risk For Developing Osteo­ne­crosis Of The Jaw  – Results from a small Australian trial suggest that multiple myeloma patients who receive bisphosphonates and experience periodontitis (inflammation or bleeding in their gums) may be at an increased risk for de­vel­oping osteonecrosis of the jaw. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a condition that is associated with a loss of blood supply to the jaw, causing the jawbone tissue to die. It can occur in multiple myeloma patients during treatment with bis­phos­pho­nates, such as Aredia (pamidronate) and Zometa (zoledronic acid). Spe­cifi­cal­ly, the researchers found that patients with at least one spot in their gums with periodontitis with a depth greater than 4 mm were at a particularly high risk of developing jawbone disease. For more information, please refer to the study in the Journal of Oral and Max­il­lo­facial Surgery (abstract).

Blood Test May Predict Velcade-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy – Findings from a prospective Japanese trial involving more than 60 patients indicate that a blood test may be able to predict whether a multiple myeloma patient will develop peripheral neuropathy (pain, tingling, and loss of sensation in the extremities) when treated with Velcade (bortezomib).  The Japanese researchers took samples of each trial participant's blood before the patients started treatment with Velcade.  The cells in the blood samples were then stim­u­lated to see how much they started to produce certain immune system proteins.  The investigators found that, when stimulated, the blood from patients who did not develop peripheral neuropathy during Velcade treatment was significantly more likely to start producing the protein interleukin 2 (IL-2) than the blood from patients who developed peripheral neuropathy.  IL-2 stimulates the production of certain types of white blood cells, known as lymphocytes, which defend the body against infections and other threats. Based on their results, the researchers recommend that the blood test they used be validated in additional studies with larger numbers of patients.  For more information, please refer to the article in the Blood Cancer Journal (full text, open access).

Phase 2 Trial To Study LCL161 In Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma Patients – The Mayo Clinic will soon be opening for enrollment a Phase 2 trial of the investigational compound LCL161, alone or in com­bi­nation with cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. LCL161, which is being developed by the pharmaceutical company Novartis, works by binding to, and thereby neutralizing, inhibitor apoptosis proteins (IAPs), which shield cancer cells from cell death.  The compound is also being investigated as a treatment for a number of different solid-tumor cancers. For more information on the trial, please see the clinical trial description.

News»

[ by and | Jun 26, 2013 5:50 pm | 10 Comments ]
Experts Publish Treatment Recommendations For Multiple Myeloma-Related Bone Disease

The International Myeloma Working Group, a group of leading myeloma special­ists, recently published its recommendations for the treatment of bone disease in multiple myeloma patients.

The researchers recommend that all myeloma patients receiving their first anti-myeloma therapy should also receive treatment with bis­phos­pho­nates, regard­less of whether the patient shows evidence of bone disease on x-rays. They also note that a minimally invasive procedure known as kypho­plasty, as well as low-dose radiation therapy, may be used to reduce severe pain or bone fractures.

In addition, they explain that most bisphosphonates are well tolerated, …

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NewsFlash »

[ by | May 6, 2013 1:24 pm | Comments Off ]

Daratumumab Receives Break­through Therapy Desig­na­tion For Multiple Myeloma The U.S. Food and Drug Admin­istra­tion (FDA) last week granted breakthrough ther­apy desig­na­tion to the inves­ti­ga­tional drug daratumumab. The breakthrough ther­apy desig­na­tion is a new desig­na­tion, signed into law in 2012.  It is designed to accelerate the devel­op­ment and review process for drugs in­tended to treat serious or life-threatening illnesses. Dara­tu­mu­mab is being devel­oped by the Danish bio­technology com­pany Genmab together with Janssen Biotech, a Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) sub­sid­i­ary. It is a mono­clonal anti­body, like elotuzumab and siltuximab, that signals the immune sys­tem to kill myeloma cells. Results from a Phase 1/2 clin­i­cal trial indicated that dara­tu­mu­mab is effec­tive in heavily pre­treated myeloma patients (see related Beacon news). For more in­for­ma­tion, please see the Genmab press release.

Statins May Aid Stem Cell Collection In Multiple Myeloma – Results from a recent retro­spec­tive­ study indicate that statins may have a pos­i­tive impact on stem cell collection in multiple myeloma patients. Specifically, the researchers found that the success rate for sufficient stem cell collection was higher in patients who received statins during stem cell collection (85 per­cent), com­pared to patients who did not receive statins (64 per­cent). All patients received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) as a stem cell mobilizing agent. The researchers point out that larger studies are nec­es­sary to con­firm their findings. Statins are drugs that lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting cholesterol pro­duc­tion in the liver. Atorvastatin (Lipitor) is the most common statin admin­istered to patients with heart disease. A pre­vi­ous study showed that statins reduce a myeloma patient’s chance of devel­op­ing the com­pli­ca­tion graft-versus-host disease after undergoing a donor stem cell trans­plant (see related Beacon news). For more in­for­ma­tion, please refer to the study in the journal Clinical Translational Oncology (abstract).

Study Finds Bisphosphonates May Not Decrease Kidney Function In Myeloma Patients Undergoing Stem Cell Transplantation – Findings from a retro­spec­tive­ study show that the bis­phos­pho­nates Boniva (ibandronate), Aredia (pamidronate), and Zometa (zoledronic acid) may not sig­nif­i­cantly de­crease kidney function in multiple myeloma patients undergoing stem cell trans­plan­ta­tion. The researchers also found that the impact of each of the three bis­phos­pho­nates on kidney function were similar.  Specifically, 33 per­cent of patients who received Boniva, 44 per­cent who received Aredia, and 21 per­cent who received Zometa ex­peri­enced a de­crease in creatinine clearance of at least 25 per­cent over the course of bis­phos­pho­nate ther­apy.  The researchers conclude that bis­phos­pho­nate ther­apy for up to three years appears to be safe on kidneys. Bisphosphonates are prescribed in multiple myeloma to slow down and prevent bone destruction. Previous studies have found that bis­phos­pho­nates may cause kidney damage. For more in­for­ma­tion, please see the study in the International Journal of Hematology (abstract).