Articles tagged with: Exercise
Opinion»
No snide remarks, please, in regard to the question in this column’s title. It’s a bit rhetorical – I don’t expect a response. Instead, the question is a play on words, as you’ll shortly see.
Regular readers of my column and my postings in the Beacon’s forum know that I make no secret of my belief in the value of exercise. Clearly, exercise produces all kinds of benefits. It strengthens the bones and muscles. It promotes cardiovascular health. And it has been shown to improve mental health by …
Opinion»
On a cold day at the end of January, I was working out at the fitness center when I reflected about the role exercise has played in my life and how it has changed since my myeloma diagnosis. I had been walking outdoors a lot with our ‘grandpuppy,’ but the cold weather had driven me indoors for exercising.
The fitness center has been part of my life since before I had the vertebral fractures that led to my myeloma diagnosis in 2009. In fact, my husband and I have had a …
Opinion»
This summer was an unusual one here in Calgary. In June, after weeks of rain, a severe flood devastated parts of our city. The bike and pedestrian pathways and bridges that are heavily used along our river banks were partially washed out. The system was closed for awhile, until assessments and initial repairs could be made.
This impacted most of us here. I use the pathway system quite a lot, either on foot or by bicycle. I was relieved when later this summer we were able to get out along the rivers …
NewsFlash »
Chromosomal Abnormality t(4;14) Can Sometimes Be Present In Only A Small Fraction Of Myeloma Cells – Results from a recent French study suggest that the chromosomal abnormality t(4;14) may sometimes be present only in a minor fraction of myeloma cells. Previous studies have shown that the abnormality t(4;14) is present in 15 percent to 20 percent of myeloma patients. In these patients, the abnormality is thought to occur at the origination of the myeloma (called a primary event) and therefore be universally present in all myeloma cells throughout various disease stages. Among the 306 patients in their study, the French researchers found that 8 percent of patients either ‘lost’ or ‘gained’ the t(4;14) abnormality in their myeloma cells during disease progression. More sensitive analysis of cells from 12 percent of such patients revealed that cells containing this abnormality were not entirely absent, but present at very low numbers, even when the abnormality was not detected by standard testing. The researchers conclude that t(4;14) is not always a primary event and can sometimes be present in a small subset of a patient’s myeloma cells at diagnosis or relapse. For more information, please see the study in Clinical Cancer Research (abstract).
Researchers Recommend Increased Hepatitis E Surveillance In Patients Receiving Donor Stem Cell Transplants – Dutch researchers suggest that patients receiving donor (allogeneic) stem cell transplants should be monitored for hepatitis E virus infection before and after transplantation. Previous studies have shown that the hepatitis E virus can cause hepatitis in patients with compromised immune function. In the current study, the investigators followed a group of 328 patients who received donor stem cell transplants. About 13 percent of participants had hepatitis E virus present in their blood prior to the transplant. After transplantation, 2.4 percent of patients developed hepatitis E virus infection; 63 percent of these patients developed chronic infection. Half of those who developed hepatitis E virus infection cleared the infection in a median time of 6.3 months, and the others died in a median time of 4.1 months. Based on their findings, the researchers suggest that recipients of donor stem cell transplants be screened for the presence of the hepatitis E virus before and after transplantation. They also recommend that physicians should consider hepatitis E virus when diagnosing the cause of liver problems in patients who underwent donor stem cell transplantation. For more information, please see the study in Blood (abstract).
Study Investigates Benefits And Barriers To Exercise In Myeloma Patients – Australian researchers recently interviewed 24 myeloma patients to understand what they thought were the benefits and barriers to exercise. About 54 percent of participants were women, and the average participant was 62 years old. The most common forms of exercise were walking or gardening. Based on their interviews, the researchers found that the reported benefits included recovery from disease symptoms and treatment-related side effects, psychological benefits such as feeling good and feeling alert, and social benefits such as connecting with other people. Most of the participants also reported enjoying physical activity. Patients perceived disease symptoms and treatment-related side effects, such as pain, fatigue, and fear of infection, as barriers to exercise. Low self-motivation was also a barrier. The researchers advise that physical activity programs should be individualized to take into account patients’ interests and the impact of different types of therapy on physical activity. For more information, please see the study in BMC Cancer.
Opinion»
Last year, I emerged from a three-week hospital stay for a stem cell transplant in late March. On the drive home, I almost wept with happiness looking at the flowering cherry trees, forsythia bushes, and tulips. Compared with the subdued hues of my hospital room, the colors were so glorious and bright. Spring had come early, and March had been one of the warmest on record.
This year, it has been cool here in the northeast, and spring has been late and extended. The cherry trees are not even in full bloom, …
NewsFlash »
SF1126 Shows Promise As A Treatment Option For Myeloma Patients – Findings from a preclinical study suggest that the Semafore Pharmaceuticals’ investigational drug SF1126 may have anti-myeloma activity and may enhance the effect of Velcade (bortezomib). Similar to perifosine and GDC-0941, SF1126 works by inhibiting an enzyme in cancer cells known as phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). This disrupts the cell division cycles and triggers cancer cell death. The investigators found that SF1126 inhibited myeloma growth by 94 percent and was particularly effective when administered in combination with Velcade. Based on their results, the investigators recommend that SF1126 be tested in combination with Velcade in a Phase 1 clinical trial. For more information, please refer to the study in Cancer Chemotherapy Pharmacology (abstract).
Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial To Study PVX-410 In Patients With Smoldering Myeloma – The pharmaceutical company OncoPep has launched a Phase 1/2 trial of the investigational cancer vaccine PVX-410 in patients with smoldering multiple myeloma. PVX-410 is a therapeutic cancer vaccine that targets specific proteins found on the surface of myeloma cells. Preclinical studies have shown that PVX-410 may be effective in stimulating the immune system to kill myeloma cells. For more information on the Phase 1 trial, including trial locations, please see the clinical trial description.
Mixed Exercise Program May Be Safe And Improve Quality of Life Of Multiple Myeloma Patients – Results from a recent British study show that a mixed exercise program may be feasible, safe, and may improve the quality of life of myeloma patients. Additionally, the program may help patients regain muscle strength. According to the investigators, only a small number of previous studies have evaluated the impact of exercise programs on myeloma patient health and quality of life. Thus, the researchers developed an exercise program, which consisted of both gym and at-home workouts, and tested it with 37 myeloma patients in a single-arm clinical trial. The program included cardiovascular exercises, such as running or cycling, as well as weight lifting to improve muscle strength. The researchers found that a majority of the patients adhered to the program and that their upper limb strength and measures of quality of life improved. They noted, however, that their findings need to be confirmed by a randomized trial. For more information, please see the study in the journal BMC Cancer (abstract, which includes a link to a provisional full-text version of the article in PDF form).
Researchers Identify Factors Associated With Infection During Velcade Treatment – Korean researchers recently found that, among patients receiving treatment with Velcade, those who had severely low levels of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) and those who received less than eight cycles of treatment were more likely to experience severe infection during their treatment. Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that patients on Velcade be closely monitored during early treatment cycles for signs of severely low lymphocytes levels. For more information, please refer to the study in the International Journal of Hematology (abstract).
Opinion»
A majority of multiple myeloma patients experience some kind of bone involvement. In other words, myeloma has negatively affected their bones. Lesions, a fancy word for holes, in and around the bone are common. So is a more general “osteoporosis”-like weakening of the bone.
Those of you who are fortunate enough not to have had multiple myeloma hurt your bones should take advantage of your good fortune by engaging in a systematic and rigorous exercise program.
I know, I know—who wants to exercise when they aren’t feeling well? Dex, chemo, bisphosphonate IV’s—YUCK! …
