Articles tagged with: Stem Cell Transplant
Opinion»
After three months of induction chemotherapy with vincristine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and dexamethasone (Decadron), I was ready for my stem cell transplant.
From the time I was diagnosed, all I kept hearing about was the stem cell transplant. It seemed like the holy grail of treatment, and even as a physician I was somewhat mystified by the process.
Since I was fairly young (47) and otherwise in good health, there was no question that I was going to get a stem cell transplant.
The stem cell transplant used in the …
News»
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 …
News»
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 …
News»
Dr. Kenneth Anderson is a multiple myeloma thought leader, physician and researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he is Director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center. He also is the Kraft Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Dr. Anderson's research has played a key role in the development of several new multiple myeloma drugs and, more broadly, the significant improvement in treatment outcomes for myeloma patients that has occurred over the past 10 to 15 years.
In an interview with The Myeloma Beacon, Dr. Anderson spoke about his approach to treating …
News»
A recent European study found that the percentage of plasma cells detected in a bone marrow sample is a strong predictor of multiple myeloma progression following stem cell transplantation.
Although the current definition for complete remission requires less than 5 percent of plasma cells in a bone marrow sample, the study’s authors found that patients with more than 1.5 percent bone marrow plasma cells were more likely to progress. Additionally, there was a trend toward shorter survival in these patients.
The study authors concluded that a bone marrow examination should be one …
NewsFlash »
General Discussion Forum Added To The Myeloma Beacon Forums – The Beacon forums have been expanded to include a forum for general discussion not specifically related to multiple myeloma. This new area of the forums is called “The Burgundy Café” and allows those within the Beacon community to get to know each other better through discussions about a wide variety of topics. Feel free to discuss within the Burgundy Café whatever may be on your mind, as long as the conversation remains respectful and courteous.
Senesco Technologies Submits Application To FDA For Investigational Myeloma Drug SNS01-T – Senesco Technologies announced today that it filed an “Investigational New Drug” application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the company’s compound SNS01-T, which has shown potential for treating multiple myeloma. Approval of this application would allow Senesco to initiate clinical testing of the compound. For more information, see the Senesco press release.
John Theurer Cancer Center Receives $2 Million To Improve Safety Of Donor Transplants For Myeloma Patients – Dr. Thea Friedman from the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, NJ, received a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute to support her research over the next five years. Dr. Friedman has been studying ways to improve the outcomes of multiple myeloma patients undergoing allogeneic (donor) stem cell transplants. She plans to start a Phase 1 clinical trial near the end of the year. For more information, see the John Theurer Cancer Center website.
MMRF And Synta Pharmaceuticals Collaborate To Develop Ganetespib For Myeloma – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and Synta Pharmaceuticals established a joint collaboration to develop Synta’s compound ganetespib (STA-9090) for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The MMRF will provide $1 million to fund a Phase 1 clinical trial studying ganetespib alone and in combination with Velcade (bortezomib) in relapsed multiple myeloma patients. Ganetespib belongs to a class of drugs known as Hsp90 inhibitors, which includes tanespimycin and several other compounds that have shown promise in myeloma clinical trials. Hsp90 inhibitors promote the degradation of proteins that are critical for myeloma cell growth, survival, and drug resistance. For more information, see the MMRF website.
News»
Results of a recent Canadian study show that the use of novel agents, particularly Velcade and Revlimid, as salvage therapy after stem cell transplantation improves overall survival and post-relapse survival of multiple myeloma patients, including high-risk patients who relapsed early following transplantation.
Although multiple myeloma remains an incurable disease, the introduction of novel agents, such as thalidomide (Thalomid), Velcade (bortezomib), and Revlimid (lenalidomide) has lead to significant improvements in disease outcomes.
In their analysis, the Canadian researchers sought to determine the effect of these novel agents on the outcomes …
