Results of a recent Swiss study show that multiple myeloma patients who have a high level of stem cells in the blood prior to stem cell transplantation have longer progression-free and overall survival times than patients who have fewer stem cells.

Based on these findings, the study authors recommended that physicians consider the number of stem cells in the blood of myeloma patients when determining their prognoses and developing appropriate post-transplant therapies.

“We feel that [the level of stem cells] is first a novel prognostic marker. Second, we think that it may …

Italian researchers recently found that most myeloma patients are able to collect sufficient stem cells after a short course of induction therapy with Revlimid, allowing them to undergo two consecutive stem cell transplants.

“Revlimid can be used safely before stem cell mobilization, provided that we use only four courses before mobilization and cyclophosphamide is used to mobilize,” said Dr. Antonio Palumbo, lead author of the study and a researcher at the University of Torino in Italy.

The current standard treatment for younger patients with newly diagnosed myeloma includes induction therapy with at …

Results of a recent Polish study show that the drug Mozobil may help multiple myeloma patients who previously had a stem cell transplant collect enough stem cells for a second transplant.

However, the results also showed that previously transplanted patients collected fewer stem cells than patients who had not received a stem cell transplant before.

According to the study authors, these results showed for the first time that Mozobil (plerixafor) is highly effective for previously transplanted myeloma patients.

Autologous stem cell transplantation, a common treatment option for younger, newly diagnosed myeloma …

The number of stem cells harvested from multiple myeloma patients during the first day of collection predicts the success of the entire collection procedure, according to a recent study.  Those patients with higher stem cell counts on the first day of collection are more likely to collect enough stem cells for transplantation.

The authors of the study suggested that patients with very low counts of blood forming stem cells on day one of collection should be treated with Mozobil (plerixafor), a drug used to mobilize stem cells from the bone marrow …

My husband was diagnosed in June 2008 with multiple myeloma at the age of 48 after having severe back pain, which turned out to be a vertebral compression fracture.

The local general oncologist started him on a thalidomide (Thalomid) and dexamethasone (Decadron) regimen in addition to radiation on the lesion on his spine to alleviate the tremendous pain. He could move better after each treatment.

When we began consulting for treatment that included stem cell transplantation, we learned that Dave had received “extensive radiation” and that this would make collecting …

Results of a recent study suggest that etoposide used in combination with G-CSF is a safe and effective mobilization strategy prior to stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma patients. The combination treatment resulted in a high stem cell harvest after one day of collection in most patients.

Stem cell mobilization is the process of increasing the number hematopoietic (blood forming) stem cells in the circulating blood to ensure that enough are available to be collected for the transplant. Hematopoietic stem cells are primarily found in the bone marrow and circulate in very …

A recent study showed that initial treatment of multiple myeloma with a combination of cyclophosphamide and thalidomide negatively impacts a patient’s ability to collect stem cells for transplant.

Physicians were able to collect almost 50 percent fewer stem cells from patients treated with cyclophosphamide and thalidomide (Thalomid) compared to patients treated with other commonly used myeloma treatments. This combination therapy may prevent stem cells from moving from the bone marrow into the circulating blood, where they are harvested for stem cell transplantation.

Treatment of multiple myeloma typically begins with a …