According to a recent Italian study, the results of PET/CT scans conducted at diagnosis, after induction therapy, and after stem cell transplantation may predict survival in multiple myeloma patients.

Specifically, the study authors found that patients with PET/CT scans negative for cancer cells, bone lesions, or other signs of active cancer had longer progression-free and overall survival times than patients with positive PET/CT scans.

“[Our study shows] a clear identification of the prognostic relevance of PET/CT [along with] other more known prognostic factors such as chromosomal abnormalities,” said Dr. Elena Zamagni of …

By way of introduction, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma on May 5, 2006. That puts me right smack at the halfway point of what one of my doctors said back then. I recall his words well. “I think I can give you a good seven to eight years,” he said.

But, who’s counting.

I will be writing a monthly column for The Myeloma Beacon about my experiences since my diagnosis with myeloma.

You can look for my future columns under the title “Birds in Spring.” The title comes from a line …

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 …

Doctors have several different techniques at their disposal for diagnosing multiple myeloma and detecting bone disease. A new study, “Role of radiography, MRI and FDG-PET/CT in diagnosing, staging and therapeutical evaluation of patients with multiple myeloma,” suggests newer imaging techniques are better for diagnosis than traditional X-rays. The study, published September 18 in Annals of Hematology, examined several different imaging methods.

Reinier Raymakers, a coauthor of the study, noted better diagnosis techniques could lead to earlier treatment.

“You can prevent fractures, pain, spinal cord lesions,” he said.

The authors observed that while …

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have announced that Medicare will now cover the use of positron emission tomography, or PET scans, for myeloma patients.

PET is an imaging technique that can be used to scan the whole body for abnormal cellular function. According to the CMS decision summary, PET imaging improves both physician decision-making and the health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries who have myeloma.

In myeloma patients, PET scans can detect lesions that might not have been seen using standard testing, or it can …

Up to 90 percent of multiple myeloma patients develop bone lesions. Lesions form when cells responsible for bone formation are either suppressed or absent and cells responsible for reabsorbing bone are overactive.

Multiple myeloma patients can experience bone destruction in any type of bone. Almost half of the patients suffer bone lesions in the spine; around one third are affected in the skull, pelvis, and ribs; and under one quarter are affected in the humeri, femora, and mandible.

Bone imaging is an important diagnostic procedure used to monitor bone disease in myeloma …

The National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) reported in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine that PET scanning has an impact on the intended treatment of patients with cancer in one third of all cases. The latest results show that PET has a similar impact across all of these cancer types, especially multiple myeloma.

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging process that uses a radioactive tracer to depict the organs and tissues in a body. The PET scanner converts the energy from the tracer to a three-dimensional picture. A doctor can …