I thought I’d tell a little story related to an aspergillus fungal infection that beset me before my first stem cell transplant.

What I’m going to recount here has less to do with the fungal infection than it is a cautionary tale.

In a dark way, this story can be somewhat amusing, but the absurdity only gets humorous in the retelling, not in the actual experience.

The aspergillus came along with something called bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia, or BOOP.  That there’s even an illness that’s called BOOP is kind of funny …

According to the results of a recent large Swedish study, patients with the myeloma precursor disease monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance may have a higher risk of developing infections than the general population.

The researchers found that patients with monoclonal gammopathy of unde­termined significance (MGUS) were more than twice as likely as the general population to develop either a bacterial or viral infection.

However, they found infections did not increase an MGUS patient’s risk of progressing to multiple myeloma.

The researchers commented that these findings may influence the surveillance and treatment of …

A group of leading myeloma specialists, known as the International Myeloma Working Group, recently collaborated to develop guidelines for the prevention of infections in multiple myeloma patients. The group recommends that patients receive inactivated vaccines for the flu, hepatitis B, and polio as early in the disease as possible. Patients at high-risk of developing infections can be given medications to prevent infections.

Dr. Elias Anaissie of the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences presented these guidelines at the International Myeloma Workshop (IMW) in Paris …

A group of Italian researchers found that elevated monoclonal protein levels and decreased platelet counts are associated with an increased risk of severe infection in multiple myeloma patients treated with thalidomide-based combination therapies.

The researchers also showed that patients who were at a low or intermediate risk for severe infections did not benefit from preventative treatment with antibiotics.

“I think it is reasonable to stop taking prophylaxis in low-intermediate risk patients,” said Dr. Massimo Offidani, lead author of the study. “If a patient is at a high risk of infection, thalidomide and …

Multiple myeloma patients on various thalidomide (Thalomid) combination regimens may develop infections despite preventative drug measures, according to a data analysis performed by Italian researchers. The analysis also identified which factors increase a patient’s likelihood of experiencing severe infection. Researchers presented the results on December 6 at the 51st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in New Orleans.

In the process of treating multiple myeloma, patients often experience a weakening in their immune system which makes them more susceptible to infection. Serious infections can lower a patient’s quality …

A recent study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases evaluates the infection risk presented by different multiple myeloma therapies. The authors conclude that while current therapies, particularly high-dose regimens and novel agents, improve the outcomes of patients with myeloma, they also introduce a much greater risk of infection.

Myeloma impairs the quality and quantity of immune system proteins that an individual produces. As a result, more than 75 percent of myeloma patients will experience marked immune system depression, becoming vulnerable to potentially life-threatening infections. In fact, infections are the leading cause of death …

Pooling results from two clinical trials, researchers have announced that Revlimid (lenalidomide) may bolster the immune systems of multiple myeloma patients, thereby helping to reduce dangerous infections.

Myeloma impairs the quality and quantity of antibodies - the “soldiers” of the immune system – that an individual produces. As a result, more than 75 percent of myeloma patients will experience marked immune system depression, becoming vulnerable to potentially life-threatening bacterial infections.

Recurrent bacterial infection, resulting primarily from this immune system depression, is the most frequent cause of death in myeloma patients with …