Findings from a retrospective study show that there have been significant changes in the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients in the United States since 1999.

In particular, more patients are being treated soon after diagnosis. In recent years, the use of novel agents, such as thalidomide (Thalomid), Velcade (bor­tezomib), and Revlimid (lenalidomide), and stem cell transplantation have be­come more common. At the same time, the use of conventional chemo­ther­a­py, such as melphalan (Alkeran), vincristine (Oncovin), and doxorubicin (Adria­mycin), as initial therapy has decreased.

The …

Except for three months following my stem cell transplant, I have continuously been on some type of chemotherapy for my multiple myeloma for over five years.  The relentless onslaught has caused a wide variety of side effects, some serious and others inconvenient.

I have been on Revlimid (lenalidomide) since soon after my diagnosis. It depresses my white blood cell counts to the point that I have experienced chronic neutropenia a number of times.  It has also aggravated a form of peripheral neuropathy (tingling in my lower extremities that slowly progressed to …

Results of a recent Phase 3 study suggest that preventative treatment with certain oral antibiotics does not significantly decrease the rate of bacterial infections among newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients receiving initial treatment.

In the study, myeloma patients who received prophylactic (preventative) antibiotics during the first two months of chemotherapy experienced statistically similar rates of infections during those two months and for up to two years following chemotherapy as patients who did not receive antibiotics.

“Unfortunately, prophylactic antibiotics did not significantly decrease the risk of infection,” said Dr. David Vesole from the …

The combination therapy of cyclophosphamide, thalidomide (Thalomid) and dexamethasone (Decadron), commonly referred to as CTD, is effective and well tolerated in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients, according to a new study published in the journal Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia. Patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after CTD therapy had higher success rates and longer survival.

Currently, thalidomide plus dexamethasone is one of the standard treatments for newly diagnosed myeloma patients. However, this treatment is associated with a high rate of blood clotting in the deep veins …

Phase 2 trials will begin for a new form of melphalan (Alkeran), a form of low-dose chemotherapy for multiple myeloma patients, made by CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. These studies will compare the effectiveness of CyDex’s new melphalan, Propylene Glycol-Free Melphalan HCL (CDX-353), and GlaxoSmithKline’s Alkeran in multiple myeloma patients who will be undergoing stem cell transplants.

According to CyDex’s press release, the advantages of the new treatment are its one-vial packaging, gentler formula, and increased stability at room temperature. “These advantages have the potential to enable doctors to safely achieve a higher …

At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting on May 30, Dr. Julie Ryan will present a study showing that ginger supplements significantly reduce nausea induced by the first chemotherapy treatment.

The majority of cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy are given drugs, called 5-HT3 antiemetics, to prevent vomiting and nausea caused by the therapy. Most patients report the most severe nausea on the first day of chemotherapy. Some doctors use spice ginger to treat the symptoms of nausea.

Dr. Julie Ryan and the research team conducted a multi-site, Phase 2/3 randomized, …

The results of a small-scale clinical study in England suggest that a new hemodialysis procedure may increase the lifespan of multiple myeloma patients suffering from kidney complications.

Kidney failure is a relatively common complication in multiple myeloma patients and can lead to life-threatening health issues. Hemodialysis clinically removes toxic waste substances from the blood, performing the same function as a healthy kidney.

Previous to this study, researchers had predicted that chemotherapy in combination with the new procedure, called high cutoff hemodialysis, might improve the condition of multiple myeloma patients. High cutoff dialysis …