Articles tagged with: Patient Seminar
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Opinion: Kadian, A Little-Known Pain Drug – In the latest article published in the opinion section of the Myeloma Beacon, Lori Puente, whose husband Dave is a myeloma patient, writes about Dave’s experiences managing pain after a T8 vertebra fracture in 2008. Dave had been on a fentanyl patch as well as two oral pain drugs, but did not respond well to these drugs. Lori requested that Dave’s doctor prescribe Kadian, a morphine sulfate extended-release oral pain drug, based on a recommendation from an internal medicine physician. Lori describes in her article how Kadian has helped Dave manage his pain. To receive a copy of all opinion articles when they are published or if you are interested in contributing an opinion piece, please send an email to .
Geraldine Ferraro Dies Of Myeloma-Related Complications – Geraldine A. Ferraro, the first female U.S. vice-presidential candidate, died of myeloma-related complications at the age of 75 on Saturday. She was diagnosed with smoldering myeloma in November 1998 at the age of 63. She progressed to active myeloma in June 2000 and has since been treated by Dr. Kenneth Anderson at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She first received treatment with thalidomide (Thalomid). When that stopped working for her, she participated in a clinical trial for Revlimid (lenalidomide). She then received a stem cell transplant in 2005, followed by Velcade (bortezomib) maintenance therapy.
Ferraro did not disclose her disease until June 2001 when she testified on behalf of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation in front of Congress for the passage of the Hematological Cancer Research Investment and Education Act, which was aimed at expanding blood cancer research and cancer education. Since then, Ferraro has been an avid advocate of raising awareness about the disease. In addition, she was an honorary board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
MMRF Patient Seminar On Clinical Insights To Be Held In Short Hills, NJ – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is hosting a seminar on April 2 for multiple myeloma patients to learn about treatment options and to ask questions for myeloma experts. Topics include treatment for newly diagnosed patients, stem cell transplantation, relapsed/refractory treatments, supportive care options, and clinical trials. The seminar is chaired by Dr. David Siegel and Dr. David Vesole from the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, NJ. For more information or to register, please visit the MMRF website.
British Society For Haematology 51st Annual Meeting – The British Society for Haematology will be holding its 51st annual meeting at the Brighton Centre from April 4 to April 6. Myeloma-related talks include adopting myeloma protocols in high-risk settings, the diagnosis and management of myeloma, and future advances in myeloma treatment. For more information, please see the British Society for Haematology website.
For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.
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Phase 2 Study Of AT9283 Is Initiated For Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma – The NCIC National Clinical Trials Group has initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial studying the developmental drug AT9283 in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. The trial will take place at several treatment centers in Canada. AT9283, which is being developed by Astex Therapeutics, inhibits cell division and has been shown in pre-clinical studies to stop the growth of multiple myeloma cells. Phase 1 clinical trials have tested AT9283 for safety in patients with a number of blood cancers and solid tumors. For more information, see the Astex press release and the clinical trial description.
Turkey Trots To Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Three Turkey Trots will take place in New York State on Thanksgiving (November 25) to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Turkey Trots will take place in Garden City, Smithtown, and Massapequa. Participants have the choice between runs of several different distances. For more information, see the event websites.
Myeloma Symposium In Germany – An information session for multiple myeloma patients will be held on November 18 in Freiburg, Germany. There will be several presentations about new developments and therapies in myeloma as well as a question and answer session. The event will be held at the University of Freiburg and will begin at 5 p.m. For more information, see the Myeloma Euronet website (pdf in German).
For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.
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Onyx Pharmaceuticals Initiates Phase 3 Myeloma Trial Of Carfilzomib – Onyx Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday announced the start of enrollment for an international Phase 3 trial of carfilzomib in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients. The trial will enroll 700 patients and will test carfilzomib in combination with Revlimid (lenalidomide) and low-dose dexamethasone (Decadron) versus Revlimid and low-dose dexamethasone without carfilzomib. Carfilzomib is a proteasome inhibitor that prevents the growth and spread of myeloma cells by interrupting their protein-related cellular processes. For more information, please see the Onyx Pharmaceuticals press release and the clinical trial description.
EntreMed’s ENMD-2076 Shows Anti-Myeloma Activity – EntreMed announced last week that its new cancer compound ENMD-2076 showed significant anti-myeloma activity in pre-clinical studies. EntreMed has already launched a Phase 1 study in multiple myeloma patients. ENMD-2076 prevents the growth and spread of myeloma cells by interfering with cell division. For more information, please see the EntreMed press release and the clinical trial description.
IMF Will Hold Myeloma Patient & Family Seminar – The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) will be holding a seminar for myeloma patients and their families August 13 to 14 in Philadelphia, PA. Myeloma experts Dr. Brian Durie and Dr. Robert Kyle are among the speakers scheduled to present during Saturday’s general session. The cost for the seminar is $60 per person. For more information or to register, please visit the IMF website.
For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.
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This weekend, conferences about multiple myeloma will be held in Hawaii, Canada, Greece, and Arizona. The conferences in Hawaii and Canada are more patient-focused and have question and answer sessions. The conferences in Greece and Arizona are targeted towards oncologists and health care professionals, providing certificates of attendance for career development.
Registration is free for the workshop in Hawaii; however, the conferences in Canada, Greece, and Arizona have registration fees.
Hawaii Regional Community Workshop
September 11, 2009 in Honolulu, Hawaii
The Hawaii Regional Community Workshop on Friday, September 11, will bring together …
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On Saturday, the University of Chicago Medical Center hosted the third of eight free lectures in a series titled, “Blood, Stem Cells and Cancers of the Blood.” Wei Xu, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago, first explained basic cancer terminology and then presented an overview of three blood cancers: leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.
Xu explained that a neoplasm is an abnormal proliferation of cells. Two examples of neoplasm are a tumor and cancer. A tumor is a solid neoplasm than can be either benign or malignant. A benign …
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Last week, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) held a workshop in Chicago titled “Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma: Its Effect on the African American Community.” While a previous Beacon article describes the issue of racial disparities, several other topics were also discussed.
Chromosomal Abnormalities – Nearly all patients with multiple myeloma demonstrate an abnormal number of chromosomes. A karyotype, which is a technique that analyzes chromosomes, can signify either good or poor prognosis. For example, having less than the normal 46 chromosomes is an indicator of poor prognosis. …
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On Tuesday, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) held a workshop in Chicago titled “Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma: Its Effect on the African American Community.” The pilot program was MMRF’s first attempt at reaching out specifically to primary care physicians in underserved areas.
The program focused on why the risk of developing multiple myeloma is twice as great in African-Americans than it is in Caucasians. Possible explanations include the presence of a condition called MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance), socioeconomic status, lifestyle and environmental factors, and …