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The Myeloma Beacon’s Medical Advisor program is expanding.

The current group of five Beacon Medical Advisors is being joined by five ad­di­tion­al Advisors from leading cancer centers across the United States.

Beacon Medical Advisors are myeloma specialists who assist The Beacon in re­view­ing and re­porting on myeloma-related research.

The most visible role of the Advisors, however, is in helping to answer questions and provide expert perspective in the Beacon’s online discussion forum.

Beacon Medical Advisors regularly review postings in the discussion forum, provide answers to questions that have …

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Dr. Jason Valent Joins The Beacon’s Medical Advisor Team – Dr. Jason Valent, associate staff in the Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders Department of the Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute, has joined The Myeloma Beacon’s team of Medical Advisors.  Beacon Medical Advisors assist with answering medical questions posted in the Beacon's multiple myeloma forums.  Dr. Valent is answering questions this week. For more information about getting medical questions answered in the forums, please see these instructions.

Additional Pomalidomide Survival Results Announced – Results from a Phase 3 study show that pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone (Decadron) extends the survival of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients, as compared to high-dose dexamethasone alone.  Specifically, median progression-free survival was 15.7 weeks for those treated with pomalidomide, as compared to 8 weeks for those treated only with dexamethasone.  In addition, pomalidomide significantly extended overall survival; at the time of the analysis, median overall survival was not yet reached for those treated with pomalidomide and 34 weeks for those treated with dexamethasone alone.  Additional results will be presented at the upcoming American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting.  For more information, see the ASH abstract and the Beacon news article about the initial – less detailed – announcement of the recent pomalidomide survival findings.

Wogonin May Be Active Against Multiple Myeloma – Results of a recent Chinese study indicate that the compound wogonin may be effective against multiple myeloma. Wogonin is found in the traditional herb baikal skullcap, also known as Chinese skullcap, and has been shown to inhibit cell growth and trigger cell death in a variety of cancer cell lines. In the current study, Chinese researchers showed that wogonin triggers cancer cell death in human myeloma cell lines. For more information, please see the study in the journal Life Sciences (abstract).

Aspartame May Increase Men’s Risk Of Developing Myeloma – Results of a recent study indicate that men who drink more than one aspartame-containing diet soda per day have an increased risk of developing multiple myeloma, compared to men who do not drink diet soda. The researchers did not observe the same increased risk among women. Aspartame is a common artificial sweetener.  It is the active ingredient in the branded artificial sweetener NutraSweet. For more information, please see the study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (abstract).

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Weekly Polls About Multiple Myeloma Have Started In The Beacon Forums – The Myeloma Beacon has started conducting “Weekly Polls” in the Beacon forums.  These polls and their related discussions address important myeloma-related questions and are intended to provide useful information and insight for multiple myeloma patients and caregivers.  Each poll will begin on Wednesday and run for one week; results can be viewed at any time.  The first poll question is: How involved are you in your myeloma treatment decisions?  This poll will be open for another two days, so please feel free to vote or join the discussion.

Anti-Nausea Drug Zofran Should Not Be Used In Patients With A Certain Heart Condition – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline will be required to conduct a safety review and to add a warning to the product labels for the anti-nausea drug Zofran (ondansetron).  The updated labels will warn against use in patients with congenital long QT syndrome, a heart condition characterized by irregular heartbeats that may cause fainting, seizures, and sudden death. The revised labels will also recommend electrocardiogram heart monitoring in patients with electrolyte imbalances, congestive heart failure, slow heartbeat, or those taking other medications that can cause QT prolongation. Zofran is a class of drugs used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. For more information, please see the FDA press release.

Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Begins Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial Of ACY-1215 For Multiple Myeloma – Acetylon Pharmaceuticals recently announced the start of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of the investigational drug ACY-1215 for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of ACY-1215 when taken alone or in combination with Velcade (bortezomib) plus dexamethasone (Decadron). ACY-1215 is an HDAC inhibitor like myeloma drug candidates Zolinza (vorinostat) and panobinostat.  However, ACY-1215 is intended to be more selective than other HDAC inhibitors, meaning that it may have higher efficacy and fewer side effects. For more information about the study or enrollment, please see the Acetylon press release or the clinical trial description.

Study Suggests Myeloma Patients Have Increased Risk Of Developing Kidney Cancer – Results of a recent, large analysis show that multiple myeloma patients may have a higher risk of developing a certain type of kidney cancer than the general population. The study included 34,156 myeloma patients diagnosed between 1973 and 2006. The myeloma patients were 1.9 times as likely to develop renal cell carcinoma as the general population. The study also determined that patients originally diagnosed with kidney cancer were at an increased risk of developing myeloma, suggesting that the two cancers share common risk factors. For more information, please see the article in the British Journal of Urology International (abstract).

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Myeloma Beacon To Launch Sponsorship Program – To continue expanding the content and services it provides the myeloma community, The Myeloma Beacon will launch a sponsorship program on September 6.  Sponsors will include myeloma treatment centers, pharmaceutical companies, and other organizations and individuals. Participation in the program will give sponsors a way to support the Beacon's mission of providing objective news and information to patients and caregivers, while also providing sponsors greater visibility within the myeloma community.

Dr. Peter Voorhees Joins The Myeloma Beacon’s Medical Advisor Team – Dr. Peter Voorhees, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has joined The Myeloma Beacon’s team of Medical Advisors.  Beacon Medical Advisors assist with answering medical questions posted in the Beacon's multiple myeloma forums.  For more information about getting medical advice answered in the forums, please see these instructions.

Modified Versions Of Ecstasy Could Treat Cancer – Researchers have made modified forms of the illegal drug ecstasy (MDMA) that kill white blood cell cancers 100 times more effectively than ecstasy itself.  Ecstasy has been known to kill cancers involving white blood cells, such as multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma.  However, the doses of ecstasy necessary to treat cancer would be lethal to the patient.  The new, more potent forms have the potential to be safe at therapeutic doses.  For more information, see the study in the journal Investigational New Drugs (abstract).

Teleconference On Living Well With Myeloma – Tomorrow, the International Myeloma Foundation will sponsor a teleconference about living well with multiple myeloma.  Timothy Tyler, director of pharmacy services at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, CA, will speak about drug interactions and contraindications (conditions making a particular drug or procedure inadvisable) as they pertain to myeloma treatments, over-the-counter medicines, and supplements.  The call will be held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT.  For more information, please see the International Myeloma Foundation website.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.

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Dr. Ken Shain Joins The Beacon's Medical Advisor Team – Dr. Ken Shain, an assistant professor of hema­to­logic malignancies at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, has joined The Myeloma Beacon's team of Medical Advisors.  Beacon Medical Advisors assist with answering medical questions posted in the Beacon’s multiple myeloma forums.  For more in­­for­ma­tion about getting medical questions answered in the forums, please see these instructions.

Onyx And MMRF Offer Carfilzomib Expanded Access Program For Myeloma Patients – Onyx Pharmaceuticals and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced last week that they have created the Carfilzomib Myeloma Access Program (C-MAP), which will make carfilzomib available to re­lapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients in the United States who do not have any treat­ment alter­na­tives. Carfilzomib is cur­rently being in­ves­ti­gated as a treat­ment for multiple myeloma. The drug is not yet approved for use in the U.S.; however, under its expanded access pro­gram, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows ill patients who lack any other treat­ment options to try a promising drug that is still under devel­op­ment. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the Onyx C-MAP website.

Janssen Launches Physician Access Program For Doxil – Janssen Products, the manu­­fac­­turer of Doxil (doxorubicin liposomal), announced on Friday that, in response to a temporary shortage of Doxil, the com­pany has established the Doxil C.A.R.E.S. Physician Access Program.  This pro­gram will allocate any newly available Doxil supply to physicians who are treating patients cur­rently on the drug. The goal of the pro­gram is to ensure that patients cur­rently on Doxil receive their medication.  Janssen announced manu­fac­tur­ing delays last month that resulted in a temporary shortage of the drug. Doxil is cur­rently approved in com­bi­na­tion with Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib) for pre­vi­ously treated multiple myeloma patients. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the Doxil website.

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Myeloma Experts From The John Theurer Cancer Center To Field Questions At The Beacon Forums Next Week – During the week of May 23 through 27, multiple myeloma patients and caregivers will have the opportunity to get expert answers to their myeloma-related questions.  Myeloma experts Dr. David Siegel and Dr. David Vesole from the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, NJ, will answer medical questions posted to the Beacon’s multiple myeloma forums throughout the week.  Research at the John Theurer Cancer Center was instrumental in getting Velcade (bortezomib) approved to treat myeloma.  The center is currently conducting studies on carfilzomib and pomalidomide and was also involved with the myeloma genome sequencing project that was published earlier this year.  Beacon readers are encouraged to begin posting their questions in the forums.

Acetylon And LLS Partner To Develop ACY-1215 For Multiple Myeloma – The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) recently partnered with Acetylon Pharmaceuticals to support a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of Acetylon’s drug candidate ACY-1215 for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.  ACY-1215 is an HDAC inhibitor like myeloma drug candidates Zolinza (vorinostat) and panobinostat.  However, ACY-1215 is intended to be more selective than other HDAC inhibitors, meaning that it may have higher efficacy and fewer side effects. The Phase 1/2 study will investigate the safety and efficacy of ACY-1215 alone and in combination with Velcade and dexamethasone (Decadron).  Under the agreement, the LLS will provide up to $4.85 million to cover half of the projected costs of the clinical trial.  For more information, please see the Acetylon press release or the clinical trial description.

MMRF Laugh For Life Raises Money for Myeloma Research – The 9^th annual Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Laugh for Life comedy event held on Monday raised over $620,000.  The money will be used to support the development of new treatments for multiple myeloma.  Cat Greenleaf served as Master of Ceremonies, and comedians John Pinette and Sherry Davey performed.  Additionally, Geraldine Ferraro, who passed away from complications of myeloma in March, was honored with the MMRF Spirit of Hope Award at the event.  For more information, see the MMRF press release.

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Dr. Edward Libby To Serve As The Myeloma Beacon’s First Medical Advisor – As a medical advisor for The Myeloma Beacon, Dr. Edward Libby, an asso­ci­ate professor of hematology and oncology at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center who specializes in multiple myeloma and other blood cancers, will be available to comment on current research results as well as answer select medical questions posted to the Beacon’s multiple myeloma forums.  For more in­­for­ma­tion about getting your medical question answered by a Beacon Medical Advisor, please see the instructions in the forums.

European Carfilzomib Trial To Be Expanded – Onyx Pharmaceuticals, the com­pany developing car­filz­o­mib, announced last week that it will expand the Phase 3 European clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of car­filz­o­mib in re­lapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients.  Patient enrollment will be increased from 84 to 300.  In addi­tion, the main goal of the study will be to evaluate car­filz­o­mib’s impact on over­all survival, instead of pro­gres­sion-free survival.  The changes are being made based on preliminary results of a Phase 2b car­filz­o­mib study that showed promising over­all survival rates in re­lapsed / refractory myeloma patients (see related Beacon news).  For more in­­for­ma­tion about the expanded trial, see the Onyx Pharmaceuticals press release.

Teleconference On Advances In Myeloma Treatment – On April 12, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will sponsor a free teleconference call entitled “Advances in Myeloma Treatment and Side Effects Management.”  The call will begin at noon Eastern Time and will be lead by Dr. Edward Stadtmauer, director of the bone marrow and stem cell trans­plant pro­gram at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center.  He will also speak about clinical trial par­tic­i­pa­tion and quality of life issues for myeloma patients.  After his talk, Dr. Stadtmauer will answer questions from participants.  For more in­­for­ma­tion or to register, please see the LLS website.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma related-events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.