Results of a recent retro­spec­tive­ study show that radiation ther­apy shortly before, or shortly after, the start of drug-based treat­ment in newly diag­nosed multiple myeloma patients is asso­ci­ated with lower over­all survival.

The results are based on in­for­ma­tion for 78,095 multiple myeloma patients from the United States whose data were reported to the National Cancer Data Base be­tween 2004 and 2015.

For their retro­spec­tive­ analysis, the authors of the new study divided the 78,095 patients in their sample into two groups.

One group in­cluded the patients who were found to have undergone …

I relapsed six or seven months ago. That fact was made painfully clear when I broke a rib getting into my wife’s car; several new lesions had weakened the ribs on my right side.

I assumed the acute pain was caused by the fracture. While I’m sure the break contributed to my discomfort, it turns out that one of the lesions was pressing on a nerve that runs along the underside of my rib cage. My medical oncologist immediately consulted with my radiation oncologist. I started radiation therapy the next day.

My pain began to …

The International Myeloma Working Group, a group of leading myeloma special­ists, recently published its recommendations for the treatment of bone disease in multiple myeloma patients.

The researchers recommend that all myeloma patients receiving their first anti-myeloma therapy should also receive treatment with bis­phos­pho­nates, regard­less of whether the patient shows evidence of bone disease on x-rays. They also note that a minimally invasive procedure known as kypho­plasty, as well as low-dose radiation therapy, may be used to reduce severe pain or bone fractures.

In addition, they explain that most bisphosphonates are well tolerated, …

Solitary bone plasmacytoma is a plasma cell disorder characterized by the formation of a single tumor in the bone.

The tumor, also called a plasmacytoma, occurs when abnormal plasma cells originating in the bone marrow accumulate on the interior surface of the bone. However, in patients with solitary bone plasmacytoma, these malignant plasma cells are typically not present throughout the bone marrow itself or in the soft tissues surrounding the bone.

The following article provides a detailed introduction to solitary bone plasmacytoma, including what it is, how it is diagnosed, how it …

A group of leading myeloma specialists, known as the International Myeloma Working Group, recently collaborated to develop guidelines for the proper management of bone disease in multiple myeloma. The group recommended that patients with bone disease should be treated with standard dosages of intravenous bisphosphonates. A minimally invasive procedure called kyphoplasty may also be considered to reduce bone pain and improve functional ability.

Dr. David Roodman of the University of Pittsburgh presented these findings at the International Myeloma Workshop (IMW) on May 6 in Paris.

Most multiple myeloma patients develop bone disease, …

Bone fractures and bone disease are two severe complications affecting myeloma patients. However, treatments such as radiation therapy, vertebroplasty, and kyphoplasty are all used to help myeloma patients combat weakening bone formation.

The most common type of lesions that develop in myeloma patients are in the spinal column. Patients may mistake pain from the lesion, often in the lower back and ribs, to be general back pain. One possible cause for the pain is vertebral compression fractures, also known as spinal fractures. This happens because the bone in the spine is too weak to …