Articles tagged with: Smoldering Multiple Myeloma
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Yesterday was the first day of research presentations at this year’s American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting, which is being held in Atlanta.
Research findings related to multiple myeloma was presented in three different sessions during the day.
Two of the sessions were actually the same general educational session about multiple myeloma, repeated at two different times during the day. The Beacon will cover the presentations given during those sessions in a separate daily update.
The key myeloma-related research presented yesterday, however, was made public during a poster session in the …
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Itraconazole May Increase The Risk Of Early Peripheral Neuropathy In Myeloma Patients Receiving Velcade – Results of a recent Japanese study indicate that itraconazole (Sporanox), a medication used for the treatment of fungal infections, may increase a multiple myeloma patient’s risk of developing peripheral neuropathy during their first Velcade (bortezomib) treatment cycle. Peripheral neuropathy is a common side effect of Velcade that is characterized by pain and tingling in the extremities due to nerve damage. Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that the use of itraconazole should be avoided in patients receiving Velcade. For more information, please see the study in The International Journal of Hematology.
Myeloma Patients With Residual Disease After Initial Therapy May Require Additional Therapy Shortly After Transplant – French researchers recently evaluated the levels of myeloma cells and normal plasma cells seven days after stem cell transplantation for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Among patients who showed no residual myeloma cells after initial therapy, the researchers found that levels of myeloma cells remain undetectable seven days after stem cell transplantation. In addition, normal plasma cell levels increased threefold within seven days after stem cell transplantation in these patients. By comparison, among patients who showed residual myeloma cells after initial therapy, levels of myeloma cells were reduced but not eradicated seven days after stem cell transplantation. Normal plasma cell levels did not increase in these patients. Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that patients with residual disease receive additional therapy shortly after transplantation to kill off the remaining myeloma cells. For more information, please see the study in Oncotarget.
FLC Ratio May Be A Good Prognostic Marker For Progression From Smoldering To Active Myeloma – Researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently found that the free light chain (FLC) ratio may be a good prognostic marker for smoldering myeloma patients who are at high risk of progressing to active myeloma. The FLC assay is one of the standard blood tests used to diagnose multiple myeloma. Specifically, the researchers found that smoldering myeloma patients with a FLC ratio of 100 or higher progressed to active myeloma within a median of 15 months, compared to 55 months for smoldering myeloma patients with FLC ratio below 100. Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that smoldering myeloma patients with a FLC ratio of 100 or higher be treated early. For more information, please see the study in the journal Leukemia (abstract).
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After a routine blood test, Yolanda Brunson-Sarrabo was diagnosed with myeloma in 2008 at the age of 38. Like many patients before her, Yolanda was unfamiliar with the term "multiple myeloma" prior to her diagnosis.
"[My husband and I] were just kind of mind boggled, it hit us so quickly. I wasn't sure what myeloma was. I had never heard of it," said Yolanda.
After her initial diagnosis was confirmed by a bone marrow biopsy, her doctor planned to put her on a thalidomide (Thalomid)-based regimen. However, Yolanda was not ready …
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Results from a recently completed Phase 3 trial suggest that thalidomide may delay disease progression in patients with smoldering myeloma.
Specifically, patients in the trial who received thalidomide in combination with Zometa had a noticeably longer time to disease progression than patients who received Zometa alone.
Over a third of the patients who received thalidomide and Zometa also showed a tumor response, whereas none of the patients treated with Zometa alone had such a response.
However, more patients who received the thalidomide- Zometa combination experienced peripheral neuropathy (pain, tingling, or loss of …
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Results from a recent retrospective study suggest that smoldering myeloma patients with a high percentage of plasma cells in the blood are more likely to progress to active myeloma within two years of diagnosis, as compared to patients with a lower percentage of plasma cells.
Patients with more than 5 billion plasma cells per liter of blood or more than 5 percent of their blood cells in the blood being plasma cells were defined as having a ‘high percentage’ of plasma cells in the blood.
“[Our results suggest that] if patients with …
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Results from a recent Italian study confirm that smoldering myeloma patients with at least 60 percent of the cells in their bone marrow being plasma cells are 5.6 times more likely than others to progress to symptomatic multiple myeloma.
In addition, the findings indicate that bone marrow aspiration may be a better tool than bone marrow biopsy for predicting rapid progression from smoldering to active myeloma.
The study investigators suggest that smoldering myeloma patients with at least 60 percent plasma cells should be treated soon after diagnosis.
However, Dr. Ola Landgren from …
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Today is the last day of this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, which is being held in Chicago. However, the multiple myeloma-related presentations at the meeting concluded yesterday.
A poster session yesterday afternoon featured research on a wide variety of myeloma-related topics, ranging from new treatments being developed for myeloma, to currently used regimens, to second cancers, to precursor myeloma diseases, and much more.
This article summarizes research from that session related to prognostic factors, precursor myeloma diseases, peripheral neuropathy, osteonecrosis of the jaw, and second cancers.
A summary …