In a recent study, treatment with Zometa (zoledronic acid) increased overall and progression-free survival rates among multiple myeloma patients compared to Bonefos (clodronate). Additionally, Zometa was more effective in preventing bone loss and fractures. The results were presented June 6 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago by Dr. Gareth Morgan of the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

Bone is in a constant balance of being broken down and being replenished. A perfect balance keeps a person’s bones strong. However, in multiple myeloma patients, this …

The majority of multiple myeloma patients suffer from bone disease, and drugs called bisphosphonates are commonly used to help improve bone health in myeloma patients. Dr. David Roodman of the University of Pittsburgh discussed the current use of bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma during an education session on June 7 at the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting.

Treatment of myeloma bone disease is important, since 20 percent of multiple myeloma patients experience a fracture at the time of their myeloma diagnosis, and 60 percent of multiple myeloma patients experience a …

Yesterday was the fourth day of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago. Although today is the final day of the meeting, the multiple myeloma-related sessions concluded yesterday.

The day began with a meeting-wide session to review the highlights of the previous day across all cancer types. There were six presentations, and despite all of the types of cancers being discussed at the meeting, an entire presentation was devoted to myeloma.

Dr. Jean-Luc Harousseau from the Rene Gauducheau Cancer Center in France presented the myeloma highlights. He described …

The third day of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2010 annual meeting in Chicago was tailor-made for morn­ing people interested in mul­ti­ple myeloma.  The key myeloma-related activity on Sunday, June 6 was a morn­ing abstract session start­ing at 9:30 a.m.  Nine abstracts were pre­sented and discussed over the course of three hours.

The first two pre­sen­ta­tions dealt with Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib)-related re­search.

Dr. Antonio Palumbo of the Uni­ver­sity of Turin pre­sented the re­­sults of the first study.  It com­pared two regi­mens for the treat­ment of newly diag­nosed elderly myeloma patients.  The first regi­men in­volved …

Leading myeloma specialists from across Europe recently published an article in the journal The Oncologist that summarized the current treatment options and availability of therapeutic agents for multiple myeloma patients in Europe. This article, Part 4 in the series, summarizes the European authors’ recommendations for the management of side effects.

The European authors provided recommendations for managing side effects related to novel agent use in myeloma patients. The recommendations are similar to how the side effects are managed in the United States.

Blood Clots

Blood clots are one of the …

The presence and number of bone marrow lesions detected by whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to determine the likelihood of progression from smoldering (asymptomatic) multiple myeloma to active (symptomatic) myeloma, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Patients with more than one bone marrow lesion progressed sooner than those with one or zero.

Currently, MRI, a technique commonly used to visualize internal structure of the body, is one of the most sensitive techniques for detecting bone marrow lesions and changes in …

A recent study published in the journal Neurological Sciences determined that injecting bone cement into fracture sites in the spine, a procedure called vertebroplasty, leads to fast pain relief and restored mobility in multiple myeloma patients.

Myeloma cells accelerate processes that degrade bone, resulting in bone lesions and fractures. Spinal fractures, in particular, are a common complication associated with multiple myeloma and can leave patients unable to walk. Treatment options include radiation therapy, medication, and a minimally invasive procedure called vertebroplasty (for further description, see related Beacon article).

In the study, …