Articles tagged with: Smoldering Multiple Myeloma
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A research review found that for patients with smoldering, or asymptomatic, multiple myeloma, beginning treatment immediately after diagnosis did not increase life span as compared to holding off treatment until cancer symptoms appeared. The analysis also found that early treatment had no impact on response to treatment, but it did delay progression of the disease.
The results of the article, which was published in the journal Cancer Treatment Review, confirm that people with smoldering multiple myeloma may be able to hold off treatment until a later stage in their myeloma.
“The …
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People with multiple myeloma and its precursor conditions may be at risk for bone fractures and osteoporosis, found a review published in the journal Joint Bone Spine in March.
For those with multiple myeloma, this increased risk of osteoporosis means higher risk of fractures even in places in the bone that do not have cancerous cells. For those with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a blood disorder characterized by a high level of monoclonal protein, or those with smoldering multiple myeloma, their disease-caused osteoporosis may be an early sign of progression to …
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The presence and number of bone marrow lesions detected by whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to determine the likelihood of progression from smoldering (asymptomatic) multiple myeloma to active (symptomatic) myeloma, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Patients with more than one bone marrow lesion progressed sooner than those with one or zero.
Currently, MRI, a technique commonly used to visualize internal structure of the body, is one of the most sensitive techniques for detecting bone marrow lesions and changes in …
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A diagnostic measure called plasma cell labeling index (PCLI) can help predict the likelihood that someone with smoldering multiple myeloma will eventually get multiple myeloma, wrote researchers in a letter to the editor published in this month’s Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
People with smoldering multiple myeloma have abnormal levels of certain cells and proteins in their blood, but don’t feel the symptoms of multiple myeloma. They are at risk for getting the cancer later.
The amount of plasma cells in a patient’s bone marrow and the amount of M protein in a patient’s …
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Dacetuzumab Shows Some Potential For Multiple Myeloma – Results from a Phase 1 clinical trial show that dacetuzumab (SGN-40), an anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody, has some anti-myeloma effects. The best response observed during the trial was stable disease in 20 percent of patients. The study authors found that doses up to 12 mg/kg per week were well tolerated. Most side effects were mild to moderate and included fatigue, headache, nausea, and anemia. The study authors suggest that dacetuzumab may produce better response rates in combination with other myeloma drugs. Two combination trials (one with Revlimid (lenalidomide) and one with Velcade (bortezomib)) are underway. For more information, please see the study in The Haematologica Journal (pdf) and the clinical trial descriptions (dacetuzumab with Revlimid or Velcade) .
Myeloma Awareness Month Teleconference Series – Each Friday during the month of March, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) will be hosting a teleconference to raise awareness and provide up-to-date information about multiple myeloma. The teleconferences are scheduled for 7 p.m. EST and will include a 60 minute presentation followed by a 30 minute Q&A. Patients, family members, caregivers, and health care professionals are welcome to join. Please see the IMF Web site for more information.
NCI Designs MGUS/Smoldering Myeloma Study – Researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are in the process of developing a prospective study with the goal of identifying causes of transformation from monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering myeloma (both asymptomatic, pre-malignant disorders) to multiple myeloma. The study will enroll 350 patients with MGUS or smoldering myeloma in the United States and follow them for up to five years. For more information, please contact the research nurse for this study, Mary Ann Yancey, at (301) 435-9227 or yanceym@mail.nih.gov.
For a more detailed listing of myeloma related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.
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Dr. Robert Kyle is a multiple myeloma key opinion leader, physician, researcher, and professor at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Kyle has dedicated his life to caring for multiple myeloma patients and studying the disease.
His work in myeloma began with his residency at the Mayo Clinic in the late 1950s, where he measured monoclonal protein levels in more than 6,500 myeloma and non-myeloma patients to identify a spike characteristic of multiple myeloma. He has authored more than 850 research papers and won lifetime achievement awards from the International Myeloma Foundation and the …
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People with high-risk, smoldering multiple myeloma who are treated with Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone (Decadron) take longer to progress to full-blown multiple myeloma than their counterparts, according to interim results of an ongoing Phase 3 study. Researchers presented the findings at the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) 51st Annual Meeting.
“For the first time, we are seeing a study which is addressing the question of the early treatment of patients with smoldering myeloma,” said Dr. Brian Durie, a physician with the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and a founder …