BOOK REVIEW: A Pilgrimage Without End by Myeloma Survivor & Advocate Cherie Rineker
BY LIZZY SMITH A Pilgrimage Without End: How Cancer Healed My Broken Heart by myeloma…
Author Lizzy
Lizzy
Lizzy Smith was diagnosed with myeloma in 2012 at age 44. Within days, she left her job, ended her marriage, moved, and entered treatment. "To the extent I'm able, I want to prove that despite life's biggest challenges, it is possible to survive and come out stronger than ever," she says.
Becoming Your Own Biggest Myeloma Advocate (you must!) + Tips
Blood Cancer Awareness Month: Take Action Thursday BY LIZZY SMITH I have been battling multiple…
CLINICAL TRIAL: YELIVA for Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
In June, we reported that Duke University would be opening up a Phase Ib/II clinical study evaluating…
CLINICAL TRIAL: Selinexor For Heavily Pretreated Myeloma Patients
Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc reported positive results from its STORM study evaluating the activity of the…
11 Tips For Coping With Cancer Anxiety
BY LIZZY SMITH Pre multiple myeloma diagnosis, I had experienced just two anxiety attacks in…
Science Magazine: First Proposed Human Test of CRISPR Passes Initial Safety Review (& Its Testing In Myeloma)
Reprinted from Science Magazine BY JOCELYN KAISER A cancer study that would represent the first…
CLINICAL TRIAL: Quad Therapy Using a Checkpoint Inhibitor with Daratumumab in Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
Later this month (July 2016), Celgene will be opening a Phase 1/2 study for approximately…
Natural Killer (NK) Cells Show Promise in Fighting Myeloma (Plus 3 Trials Using Allo SCT + NK Cells Have Opened at MD Anderson!)
A first-in-human Phase I study of myeloma patients combined expanded cord blood-derived natural killer cells…
Myeloma 101: More On Proteasome Inhibitors (Velcade, Kyprolis, Ninlaro) & How They Help Combat Myeloma
Earlier, we ran a story about proteasome inhibitors. But there is much to say about…
Filanesib Used With Carfilzomib and/or Bortezomib & Dex in Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
Filanesib, formerly called ARRY-520, has been tested in myeloma clinical trials since 2013. Filanesib is a kinesin…
Meet SMM Patient & Clinical Trial Advocate Gina Spencer from Canada (She gives great coping tips!)
BY GINA SPENCER I am Gina Spencer and I live in Toronto, Canada with my boyfriend…
New Myeloma Guideline Expands Diagnostic Criteria And Adds New Agents to the Mix
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) establishes guidelines for myeloma treatments. Doctors use these guidelines to understand…
CLINICAL TRIAL: Nivolumab, Elotuzumab, Pomalidomide & Dex for Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
Checkpoint inhibitors are now entering clinical trials are being added to standard myeloma combinations. One…
No Survival Boost With Three-Drug Combo in Older Myeloma Patients
MedPage Today is reporting that studies show that there is no survival boost with a…
Myeloma 101: How Corticosteroids (Like Dexamethasone) Work to Fight Myeloma
Corticosteroids, like dexamethasone and prednisone, are staple drugs that pretty much every myeloma warrior takes,…
Meet Denise (Caregiver) and Tim (Myeloma Survivor): Their Myeloma Journey & Tips For Navigating It
We are Denise (caregiver) and Tim (myeloma survivor) from New Jersey. Together, we have one 18-year old…
Triple Myeloma Combo Ixazomib, Cyclophosphamide & Dex Show Encouraging Clinical Results
Another all-oral triplet combination – ixazomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (ICd) – has shown encouraging clinical results Drugs…
CLINICAL TRIAL: Celyad Starts New Dosing with Natural Killer Cells in Early Study for Myeloma
Natural killer (NK) cells are white blood cells that roam through the blood stream, attacking…
CD38 Expression & Daratumumab Resistance: Can Adding ATRA Help?
BY LIZZY SMITH There has been much chatter in several myeloma support groups about Daratumumab…
American Society of Hematology Data Sharing Initiative Featured at National Cancer Moonshot Summit
The American Society of Hematology (ASH), the world’s largest professional organization dedicated to the causes…
Does Myeloma Run in Families? Researchers Search for More Information about Potential Links.
BY LIZZY SMITH I have scratched my head way too many times wondering how I…
BOOK REVIEW: Radical Remission, The Nine Key Factors That Can Make a Real Difference
BY JEAN LAMANTIA Kelly Turner is a psychotherapist who specializes in integrative oncology. She has…
Myeloma Patients Should Monitor Their Kidney Function Early & Often
The International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG), a group of nearly 200 leading myeloma researchers from around…
For Relapsed/Refractory Patients, CD38 May Vanish Over Time
Physicians considering use of a CD38 monoclonal antibody (mAb) ,like daratumumab, to treat patients with relapsed…
To Dye Hair or Not? Does Coloring Your Locks Cause Cancer?
BY LIZZY SMITH My hair is finally growing back after many months of baldness. During…
CLINICAL TRIAL: YELIVA For Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
A new drug called YELIVA™ (ABC294640) is an oral drug that is a kinase inhibitor…
Phase 3 Studies Show Kyprolis (Carfilzomib) Extends Progression Free Survival for Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
At the 21st Congress of European Hematology Association (EHA), Amgen announced results from a post-hoc analysis…
Patient Power: When Is An Allo Transplant Appropriate For a Myeloma Patient?
The million dollar question: When should a myeloma patient undergo an allo (donor) transplant? In…
Meet Newly-diagnosed Myeloma Survivor Mehmet Akyol from Izmir, Turkey. On Living a Slower-paced, More Meaningful Life
BY MEHMET AKYOL My name is Mehmet Akyol. I am a myeloma survivor living in…
Myeloma 101: What is MGUS and Smoldering Multiple Myeloma?
We often hear the terms MGUS and “smoldering myeloma.” But what do these two terms…
Researchers Can Better Predict Smoldering Myeloma Patients Who Are Likely to Progress to Active Myeloma
Some smoldering myeloma patients could be at ultra-high risk of developing myeloma within a 2-year window.…
New HDAC6 Inhibitors for Treating Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma Show Activity and Lowered Side Effects
HDAC6 inhibitors are now being used with pomalidomide and dexamethasone to treat relapsed or relapsed/refractory…
Is There a “Fix” for “Chemobrain?” Psychotherapy May Help.
BY LIZZY SMITH I’ve written about “chemobrain” before but here I go again. I can’t…
Research Team First to Identify AF1q Protein Associated with Myeloma Extramedullary Disease (EMD)
A group of researchers from the University of Louisville, Japan and Austria are the first…
Checkpoint Inhibitor Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) + Lenalidomide + Dex in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Myeloma
This Phase III clinical trial in Salt Lake City is currently accepting approximately 640 newly…
Meet Myeloma Survivor Karen Foster. Her Tips of Coping & Thriving
BY KAREN FOSTER, Myeloma Survivor I am Karen Foster and I live in Olathe, Kansas, a suburb…
Sea Squirt (Aplidin) Clinical Trial Results Are Promising for Treating Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
Not long ago, we reported that the novel drug Aplidin (plitidepsin) was showing promise in…
CLINICAL TRIAL: Phase I/II Study of Oral Inhibitor for Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
Karyopharm Therapeutics is conducting this clinical trial, a first-in-human, multi-center, open-label clinical study with separate…
And it Begins! Day 1 of Daratumumab Infusion. Lizzy’s Story of Trying the (Hopefully) New Myeloma Wonder Drug
BY LIZZY SMITH Last summer, I heard of Daratumumab (Darzalex), a potential ground-breaking new wonder…
Darzalex (Daratumumab) Shows Amazing Results In Treating Refractory Myeloma
According to information presented at ASCO 2016, Darzalex (daratumumab) reduced the risk of myeloma disease progression when…
All Oral Ixazomib Combo Shows Early Success for Newly Diagnosed Myeloma Patients
A study testing the all oral combination of ixazomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone showed that patients…
CLINICAL TRIAL: Isatuximab Appears Effective in Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma
A second anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody is making its way onto the myeloma treatment scene. A Phase…
Lenalidomide Maintenance Therapy Improves Overall Survival for Myeloma Patients
While several clinical trials have demonstrated that maintenance therapy with lenalidomide (Revlimid) reduces the risk…
Life Advice and Musings from Mom, Wife & Myeloma Warrior, Stephanie Holmberg
BY STEPHANIE HOLMBERG I am Stephanie, a myeloma survivor from Edmond, Oklahoma. I am married…
The Lion, the Gazelle & the Pesky Myeloma Cell. High Risk Disease and What to Do About It
BY LIZZY SMITH Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must…
Patient Power: Can High-Risk Myeloma Patients Become Refractory to Certain Monoclonal Antibodies?
There is much hope and excitement with the newly-approved myeloma drug, daratumumab. But can refractory,…
CLINICAL TRIAL: Immunotherapy Developed at Roswell Park to Treat Newly Diagnosed Myeloma Patients
Early-stage clinical trial at Roswell Park will assess whether novel SurVaxM vaccine is safe and…
Can We Myeloma Patients Starve Our Cancer? Part 1 In Series
BY JEAN LAMANTIA Can I Starve My Cancer? This is an important question that many…
Pomalidomide + Dex Effect for Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma Who Have Poor Prognosis
Pomalidomide plus low-dose dex should be a standard of care for patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma…
Tips for Staying Sun-safe During Summer Months (This is Crucial for the Myeloma Patient!)
BY LIZZY SMITH The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology’s recent study shows that a majority of…