We tried, myeloma world, but we couldn't come up with a short title for today's report.

There were just too many words needed to describe the three research articles that we plan to review with you in this edition of Myeloma Morning.

First, we have an important new study out of Spain that in­ves­ti­gates the sig­nif­i­cance of Bence Jones protein in smol­der­ing multiple myeloma patients.

Next, we turn to a study by researchers in Japan. They in­ves­ti­gate different methods for measuring a person's bone marrow plasma cell per­cent­ages, and how those methods can …

I recently noticed that one of the most active discussions in the Myeloma Beacon forums is one about experiences with bone marrow biopsies. I haven’t read of anyone who really was neutral to having that procedure done.

Whether it’s done under local anesthetics or with the help of a sedative, it is somewhat dreaded because it helps diagnose, confirm and stage multiple myeloma. However, most of us patients consent to the procedure because of the information it can yield.

When I had an initial appointment with my oncologist to review the results …

Results from a recent Italian study confirm that smoldering myeloma patients with at least 60 percent of the cells in their bone marrow being plasma cells are 5.6 times more likely than others to progress to symptomatic multiple myeloma.

In addition, the findings indicate that bone marrow aspiration may be a better tool than bone marrow biopsy for predicting rapid progression from smoldering to active myeloma.

The study investigators suggest that smoldering myeloma patients with at least 60 percent plasma cells should be treated soon after diagnosis.

However, Dr. Ola Landgren from …

Even though doctors sometimes skip bone marrow exams during clinical trials, a Mayo Clinic study discovered that they are crucial after experimental multiple myeloma treatments. Other standard tests for multiple myeloma patients’ responses to treatments can give false positives if used alone. The study was published in the journal Blood in late July.

Whether the study’s findings will apply to patients not in clinical trials is up for debate. However, the findings are very important to doctors doing clinical trials with patients, wrote Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar, lead researcher of the study, …