Tag: Myeloma Treatment

Post about new “Blood” study from Margaret’s blog

Beth 2 August, 2011 0

I wanted to share this link with my readers, because it’s an important discussion about cure vs control and other aspects of myeloma treatment or management.

http://margaret.healthblogs.org/2011/08/02/the-cure-versus-control-debate-a-new-blood-study/

Please read it and let me know what you think. I’ve long thought I probably should have held off on treatment for as long as possible, and my post-SCT strategy is to stay treatment free for as long as possible. I expect to withhold treatment until symptoms affect QOL.

Categories Myeloma, Myeloma Blogs, Myeloma Treatment, Research Tags myeloma management, Myeloma Treatment

Feeling “ungood”

Beth 18 February, 201018 February, 2010 5

I’m feeling ungood today. Maybe even part way doubleplusungood. I had Zometa yesterday, so this could explain some of it. I usually feel a little bit flu-ish the day after a Zometa infusion. I’ve had a few days of feeling sneezy and nose-runny, and I feel very tired. I think I just need to get several nights of good sleep.

Here’s a picture of the Zometa IV to satisfy your curiosity. I have 250 ml saline with it, over about 45 minutes. My onc now has wireless, so I took a computer with me yesterday so I could get a little work done.

Categories Myeloma Treatment Tags Myeloma Treatment, zometa

Latest electrophoresis, proteins and free light chains

Beth 2 February, 20102 February, 2010 6

Here are my latest results.

Specific Proteins

Test Name    Result       AB    Normal Range   Units
IGG          466          L     600-1700       MG/DL
IGM          31           L     35-290         MG/DL
IGA          408          H     40-400         MG/DL

Electrophoresis

The SPE pattern demonstrates two bands of restricted mobility in the gamma region.

Immunofix, Serum

Monoclonal component typed as IgA Lambda. Concentration of monoclonal protein determined by serum protein electrophoresis is 0.4 g/dL.
Monoclonal component typed as IgA Lambda. Concentration of monoclonal protein determined by serum protein electrophoresis is 0.3 g/dL.
*Suggestive of a monoclonal component typed as IgG Kappa. Concentration of monoclonal protein is too low to accurately quantify.

* This is new! Previously, I’ve only ever had just two m-spikes. That’s not enough? I vaguely remember seeing this on one other report, so maybe it’s something that comes and goes. In any case, it’s not enough to measure, so I’m not alarmed.

Serum Free Light Chain Assay

Test Name                  Result     AB  Normal Range    Units
Kappa Free, Serum          0.1380     L   0.33-1.94       mg/dL
Lambda Free, Serum         1.24           0.57-2.63       mg/dL
K/L FLC Ratio              0.1113     L   0.26-1.65       mg/dL

Still, no myeloma treatment for over two years.

Categories Myeloma, Myeloma Treatment, UNC Tags Electrophoresis, gamma region, IgA, IgA LAMBDA, IgG, IgG Kappa, IgM, Immunofix, Monoclonal component, monoclonal protein, Myeloma Treatment, Serum Free Light Chain Assay, SPE, Specific Proteins

Myeloma treatment drug maker Celgene flagged for a buy

Beth 3 November, 20093 November, 2009 0

Probably most of us who’ve had treatment for our myeloma have been prescribed one of the drugs manufactured by Celgene. Celgene makes Revlimid^® (lenalidomide) and Thalomid^® (thalidomide).

That really annoying guy on TV, Jim Cramer (Mad Money, CNBC), says it’s on his list of stuff to buy. According to the CNBC site:

So when do you buy CELG? Cramer said that investors could wait until the annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting on Dec. 5, where Celgene is expected to present “some terrific Revlimid data.”

“I wouldn’t pull the trigger on this trade until the week before the conference,” Cramer said.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/33603726

I’ll be waiting to see what happens during the ASH conference.

Categories ASH, Myeloma Treatment, Revlimid, thalidomide, Thalomid Tags celgene, lenalidomide, Myeloma Treatment, Revlimid, thalidomide, Thalomid

Balloon Kyphoplasty for Spinal Compression Fracture

Beth 30 July, 200930 April, 2013 10

I got this alert last night, and it may apply to myeloma patients who have had spinal compression fractures.

Balloon Kyphoplasty for Spinal Compression Fracture

At 1 month, kyphoplasty patients had significantly greater improvements in global quality of life, back pain, and function than did controls.

In vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, two minimally invasive procedures for spinal compression fractures, cement is injected into damaged vertebrae to prevent further compression and to alleviate pain. In kyphoplasty, a balloon is inflated within the vertebra to restore normal height and shape, and cement is injected into the resulting cavity. Although both procedures have been in use for longer than a decade, few data support long-term safety and efficacy of either one. With funding from a kyphoplasty instrument manufacturer, researchers randomized 300 patients with one to three acute vertebral compression fractures (average duration, 6 weeks) to receive supportive care alone or supportive care plus balloon-assisted kyphoplasty.

When the groups were compared after 1 month of follow-up, kyphoplasty patients had significantly greater improvements in global quality of life, back pain, and function and reported significantly fewer days of restricted activity. During the next year, these differences between groups narrowed, with some (but not all) losing statistical significance. Adverse events were similar in the two groups, apart from two reversible perioperative complications and a nonsignificant trend toward more new vertebral fractures in the kyphoplasty group.

Comment: This nonblinded study provides additional evidence that kyphoplasty improves symptoms and function more rapidly than supportive management. Although short-term pain relief and earlier resumption of normal activities are important outcomes, more data on the long-term efficacy and safety of the procedure are needed. The authors of the current trial will collect another year of follow-up data, and other groups are conducting randomized studies to compare vertebroplasty to kyphoplasty or to sham procedures.

— Bruce Soloway, MD

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine April 7, 2009

Citations:
Wardlaw D et al. Efficacy and safety of balloon kyphoplasty compared with non-surgical care for vertebral compression fracture (FREE): A randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2009 Mar 21; 373:1016. [Medline® Abstract]

Kallmes DF and Jarvik JG. Spinal augmentation research: FREE at last? Lancet 2009 Mar 21; 373:982. [Medline® Abstract]

The above message comes from “Journal Watch”, who is solely responsible for its content.

Categories Myeloma Treatment Tags back pain, Balloon Kyphoplasty, Myeloma Treatment, Spinal Compression Fracture

Myeloma treatment could be advanced by discovery

Beth 29 July, 200928 October, 2009 0

Have you seen this news? Could this lead to more effective myeloma treatment?

Multiple Myeloma Genome Unlocked
Discovery paves way for better therapies for some blood cancer patients, experts say
Posted July 29, 2009

WEDNESDAY, July 29 (HealthDay News) — The sequencing of the first three multiple myeloma whole genomes has been completed by U.S. scientists, who said this success will lead to a better understanding of this form of blood cancer and advance efforts to develop new therapies.

The analysis of DNA from more than 50 patient samples was conducted as part of the Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative. Overall, more than 250 patient samples have been collected and additional multiple myeloma genomes are being sequenced, according to a news release from The Broad Institute.

The first three complete genomes should be available online to researchers within the next several months, the news release stated.

The data from this research “will play an important role in developing better treatment options for individuals who derive little benefit from existing therapies and may ultimately help provide multiple myeloma patients with the most appropriate treatment for his or her disease. Furthermore, knowledge from this effort could also benefit patients with other types of cancer,” Louise Perkins, chief scientific officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC), said in a news release from the Broad Institute.

This research initiative “has created an unprecedented opportunity to examine an extraordinary breadth of genomic information to pinpoint the most important genes and cellular processes driving the disease,” added Jeffrey Trent, co-principal investigator on the Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative. “Such a remarkable dataset exists for very few other cancers; it will no doubt pave the way toward personalized medicine for multiple myeloma patients.”

Categories Myeloma, Myeloma Treatment Tags MMRC, Multiple Myeloma Genome, Myeloma Treatment

CancerCare Launches New Program to Help Multiple Myeloma Patients Cover Transportation Costs

Beth 22 July, 200922 July, 2009 0

A list member just told us about this. Thanks, Sandy!

CancerCare Launches New Program to Help Multiple Myeloma Patients Cover Transportation Costs

‘Door to Door’ initiative offers individual grants to patients to help defray costs of transportation to and from medical care

NEW YORK, July 20 /PRNewswire/ — CancerCare announced today the launch of the “Door to Door” program for patients with multiple myeloma. CancerCare’s program will provide individual grants of up to $600 annually to multiple myeloma patients for covering transportation costs such as gasoline and taxi, bus or train fare to and from their medical care.

The program is funded in part by a generous grant from Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. CancerCare is a national non-profit organization based in New York City that provides free support services to people affected by cancer.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow that is diagnosed in approximately 20,000 people annually in the U.S. Advances in the treatment of this cancer have dramatically increased patients’ life expectancy (an estimated 60,000 people in the U.S. are now living with multiple myeloma) and consequently lengthened the duration of treatment.

“Because of the nature of their therapies and the disease itself, many multiple myeloma patients may be required to visit their doctors several times a week over many months. Particularly for patients on a fixed income, these travel expenses add up and create a financial burden that may prevent them from keeping up with their health care,” noted Diane Blum, executive director of CancerCare. “The Door to Door program will provide much-needed relief to this patient population, and we are grateful for Millennium’s support.”

Founded in 1944, CancerCare has a long track record of providing financial assistance to people facing cancer; it is a cornerstone of its direct support services to help people cope with the emotional and practical issues of a cancer diagnosis. During fiscal year 2009, CancerCare provided over $4.2 million in grants to more than 24,000 people with cancer to cover treatment-related costs like transportation, child care and medications for side effects.

Last year CancerCare launched a separate foundation to help cancer patients cover the cost of their health insurance co-payments for certain types of treatments. To date, the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation has assisted thousands of people undergoing cancer treatments with grants of up to $10,000.

To receive a Door to Door transportation grant, patients must meet certain eligibility criteria and complete an application form. The form can be viewed on the CancerCare website at www.cancercare.org.

For more information about the CancerCare Door to Door program, contact Jeanie M. Barnett, director of communications, at 212-712-6137; or email jbarnett@cancercare.org. For more information about multiple myeloma, see CancerCare’s free Connect booklet, Advances in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma, available to order or download from the CancerCare
website.

About CancerCare

CancerCare is a national non-profit organization that provides free, professional support services to anyone affected by cancer: people with cancer, caregivers, children, loved ones, and the bereaved. CancerCare programs – including counseling, education, financial assistance and practical help – are led by professional oncology social workers and are completely free of charge. Founded in 1944, CancerCare now provides individual help to more than 100,000 people each year, and has more than
one million unique visitors annually to its websites. For more information, call 1-800-813-HOPE (4673) or visit www.cancercare.org.

Categories Myeloma, Myeloma Treatment Tags cancercare, multiple myeloma, Myeloma Treatment, transportation costs

Oral mucositis caused by your myeloma treatment

Beth 20 May, 20096 May, 2017 3

I was told about about a research project that’s underway. I have no affiliation with the group, so please do your due diligence. If you participate, let us know how it went.

We are currently looking for people that have suffered “oral mucositis” (mouth inflammation or sores) as a result of cancer treatment to participate in 45 min telephone interviews.

The purpose of this research is to understand what does or does not work as treatment for this condition.

The interviews can be scheduled this week and next and participants receive $100.

Please respond with interest to contacts below. If this is not you, please refer or post for others that may have interest.

Kind Regards

Jan Mallery-Groom RN
Clinical Project Manager
+510-922-9710
recruitingresourcesllc.com

Categories Cancer, Duke, Myeloma Treatment, Southern Pines Tags cancer treatment, multiple myeloma, Myeloma Treatment, oral mucositis