Articles tagged with: Infection
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Results of a study conducted in Switzerland indicate that selective digestive decontamination, a controversial strategy designed to reduce the risk of infections, may be effective in myeloma patients undergoing autologous (own) stem cell transplantation.
The authors of the new study retrospectively reviewed data for over 200 myeloma patients who underwent an inpatient stem cell transplant at two hospitals in Zurich, Switzerland, between 2009 and 2015. About half the patients underwent selective digestive decontamination (SDD) during their transplants, while the other half did not.
The patients who underwent SDD were significantly less likely …
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Good morning, myeloma world.
As we were finalizing today's edition of Myeloma Morning, we were suddenly reminded of how international the field of multiple myeloma research truly is.
The first research study we review below is by a team of German researchers. We also discuss two studies by Korean researchers, and a topic sparked by a report written by Chinese researchers. At the end of today's report, the list of new myeloma research articles also includes publications by investigators in India, Israel, Italy, and the United States.
As we …
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Findings from a recent study indicate that a history of certain infections is associated with an increased risk of a person eventually developing multiple myeloma.
The study is based on data for more than 15,000 U.S. myeloma patients and 200,000 people from the general U.S. population. It did not include in its analysis infections that myeloma patients had less than a year prior to their diagnosis.
The investigators found that people in the study who were eventually diagnosed with multiple myeloma were more likely to have had respiratory tract infections or shingles …
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Hybrid Drugs Based On Thalidomide And Curcumin May Be A Future Treatment Option For Myeloma Patients – Results from a recent preclinical study indicate that hybrid molecules combining chemical structures from thalidomide (Thalomid) and curcumin may be potential treatments for multiple myeloma. Specifically, the investigators found that two particular hybrid molecules were effective in killing myeloma cells and were safer than either drug alone. Curcumin is the major active compound in turmeric, a popular Indian spice. Several early-stage studies have investigated curcumin's potential as a myeloma treatment (see related Beacon news articles). According to the researchers, hybrid drug therapy, which involves combining elements from two or more drugs into one molecule, is a promising treatment option for myeloma because it may be be safer and associated with a reduced risk of developing drug resistance. For more information, please refer to the study in the journal Organic and Bimolecular Chemistry (abstract).
Tandem Autologous Stem Cell Transplants May Not Cause Serious Heart Problems – Results from a small, retrospective Slovenian study suggest that two back-to-back, or tandem, autologous stem cell transplants (using the patient’s own cells) may not cause serious heart problems in the long-term. The study included 12 patients, each of whom received cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) for stem cell mobilization, and then high-dose chemotherapy with melphalan (Alkeran) prior to each transplant. None of the patients developed critical heart issues six years after their tandem transplant. However, the researchers did detect some signs of heart damage in the more detailed tests they carried out. Thus, the authors recommend long-term follow-up studies with tandem transplant patients, in part because of the increasing life expectancy of myeloma patients. For more information, please see the study in journal Radiology and Oncology (full-text).
Methotrexate-Cytarabine Combination May Be Useful For Stem Cell Remobilization – Results from a small study conducted in South Korea indicate that a combination of high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine (Cytosar-U) plus granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) may be a useful alternative for stem cell mobilization. Cytarabine is an older chemotherapy drug which has been used in the treatment of certain leukemias and lymphomas. Methotrexate also is an older drug, which has been used in high doses as a chemotherapy agent, and in low doses to treat various autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis. The Korean study included eight patients who had previously failed to mobilize sufficient stem cells using regimens including G-CSF and conventional chemotherapy agents. Of those eight patients, all but one were able to mobilize a sufficient number of stem cells using the methotrexate-cytarabine-G-CSF combination. The researchers point out that larger studies are necessary to confirm their findings. For more information, please refer to the study in the journal Transfusion (abstract).
Donated, Virus-Specific White Blood Cells Effective For Severe Viral Infections After Donor Transplantation – Results of a recent study show that donated t-cells, a type of white blood cell, can be used to treat severe viral infections in patients who have undergone allogeneic (donor) stem cell transplantation. During the study, virus-specific t-cells were collected from individuals who were immune to certain viral infections. The donated t-cells were then used to treat a total of 50 patients who had undergone a donor stem cell transplant and then developed a severe viral infection. In 74 percent of the cases, the donated t-cell treatment led to either a partial or complete elimination of the viral infection. According to the researchers, the treatment was well tolerated; there were no infusion-related side effects, and only 4 percent of the patients developed graft-versus-host disease after the t-cell infusions. Graft-versus-host disease is a complication that arises when donor cells identify the recipient cells as foreign and attack them. For more information, please the study in the journal Blood (full text).
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Results from a recent retrospective study demonstrate that the risk of infection is significantly higher in multiple myeloma patients compared to the general population.
Furthermore, the study investigators found that the rate of infection in myeloma patients has increased in recent years.
“Our study raises the question whether modern myeloma therapy increases the risk of infections,” said Dr. Cecilie Blimark from the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, who presented the study findings at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting last month.
“The increasing risk [of developing an infection] in …
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Tuesday was the final day of this year’s American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting, which took place in Atlanta. The meeting concluded in the morning with a series of oral presentation sessions held simultaneously.
Three of the morning sessions focused on the biology of multiple myeloma as well as preclinical and clinical studies of treatment options for multiple myeloma patients.
This update will summarize the research presented during the session that focused on myeloma treatment options. In addition, it will summarize results from an important late-breaking study of pomalidomide that also was …
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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 …