The year 2013 is likely to be remembered as a very good year when it comes to re­search related to multiple myeloma.

Previous years have witnessed re­search shedding new light on existing my­e­lo­ma ther­a­pies, as well as addi­tional re­search about poten­tial new ther­a­pies.

But, in the past, most of the im­por­tant new ther­a­pies that were being re­searched were from existing classes of ther­apy, making them less likely to offer dramatic im­prove­ments in the treat­ment of the dis­ease.

In 2013, not only was there more re­search about existing ther­a­pies, and more re­search about …

Throughout 2013, multiple myeloma patients once again graciously shared their personal experiences related to myeloma in columns they wrote for The Beacon.

Last year, two new myeloma patients joined the ranks of Beacon col­um­nists.  Both are women, both were diagnosed with myeloma much before the average age (one when she was a new mother), and both are long-term survivors.

Over the past year, The Beacon columnists have written about their recent myeloma-related happenings, including recent lab results, changes to their current treatment regimen, and how they have been doing lately.

They have …

Each year, The Myeloma Beacon publishes many news articles sum­ma­rizing the latest research findings about multiple myeloma.  As in recent years, 2013 was a year filled with important multiple myeloma-related news.

During 2013, a new drug, Pomalyst, was approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma; researchers presented new findings about other potential new treat­ments; experts learned more about the factors that influence a patient’s prog­no­sis and reported improvements in survival over the past decade; the role of stem cell trans­planta­tion and whether to use maintenance therapy were issues that continued to garner debate; …

Looking back at all that has hap­pened in the world of mul­ti­ple myeloma since Jan­u­ary of 2012, it is hard not to be impressed by the many im­por­tant devel­op­ments that took place.

There is the obvious fact that, during that time, not one, but two new drugs to treat myeloma were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis­tra­tion (FDA).  Prior to 2012, the FDA had not approved a novel anti-myeloma ther­apy in over six years.

Yet 2012 was meaningful to the myeloma com­munity for reasons beyond the ac­­tiv­ity at the FDA’s …

Throughout 2012, multiple myeloma patients and caregivers have continued to graciously share their personal experiences with myeloma in columns they wrote for The Beacon.

In the past year, there was a new addition to The Beacon's columnists, who began her column describing the events leading up to her diagnosis. Several columnists took a chronological approach and wrote about their recent myeloma-related happenings, including recent lab results, changes to their current treatment regimen, or how they have been doing lately. 

Other columnist have written about their struggles with side effects, relapsing, and …

Early in 2012, The Myeloma Beacon published its first annual review of the previous year's most popular news articles.  The review described 2011 as a year "filled with important multiple myeloma-related news."

The same can be said for 2012.

During 2012, a new drug, Kyprolis, was approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma; researchers presented new findings about other potential new treatments; experts learned more about the factors that influence a patient's prognosis; second cancers as a results of myeloma treatment were once again in the news; the role of …

Many new and promising re­search devel­op­ments oc­curred in the field of mul­ti­ple myeloma during 2011. Over the course of the year, The Myeloma Beacon pub­lished nearly 100 articles on im­por­tant myeloma-related stud­ies.

To identify the most im­por­tant of these stud­ies from 2011, The Myeloma Beacon surveyed lead­ing physicians and re­searchers in the field.  They were asked to name the three peer-reviewed journal articles pub­lished in 2011 and the three conference pre­sen­ta­tions from 2011 that have the most im­por­tant findings or implications relating to mul­ti­ple myeloma.

Their selections for the most im­por­tant journal …