The International Myeloma Working Group, a group of leading myeloma specialists, recently drafted guidelines for the prevention of blood clots in the veins in multiple myeloma patients. The group recommended the use of heparin or warfarin for patients with a high risk for developing blood clots and aspirin for standard-risk patients.

Dr. Antonio Palumbo of the University of Torino in Italy presented the draft guidelines at the International Myeloma Workshop (IMW) on May 6 in Paris. In email correspondence with The Myeloma Beacon, Dr. Palumbo said that a comprehensive set of guidelines …

In a recent literature review, Canadian researchers confirmed that the use of aspirin, warfarin, and heparin decreases the risk for blood clots in multiple myeloma patients receiving thalidomide treatment.

However, the authors of the review pointed out that they were unable to recommend a specific strategy for blood clot prevention due to inconsistent reporting of blood clotting events among the trials. 

They pointed out that randomized, controlled trials directly comparing the different medications are needed in order to determine the true efficacy of the preventative medications.

In addition, the authors of the …

At the recent twelfth annual International Myeloma Workshop (IMW), physicians discussed strategies for managing multiple myeloma symptoms. Their topics included deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially fatal blood clot in the body's large veins, and myeloma-induced bone disease, including "soft spots" and fractures.

DVT involves blood clot formation in the deep veins of the body, and if a clot dislodges, it may travel to other areas and block blood flow to vital organs. Researchers estimate that approximately 70 percent of all critical blockages of lung blood vessels originate from DVT in the …