Myeloma Minute: Wrapping up ASH 2016

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	In the Case of Second Transplants, Less Is More A standout study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) on Tuesday morning in San Diego is very good news for myeloma patients, writes IMF Chairman Dr. Brian Durie in his blog this week. The results of the StaMINA trial mean that “both doctor and patient can know that one ASCT, plus lenalidomide maintenance, is enough. The toxicities, the time, the costs, the family disruption can all be set aside. Truly good news!” To read Dr. Durie’s blog, click HERE.
	ASH 2016 Overview by Dr. Morie Gertz: Myeloma Cure on the Horizon The IMF filmed a number of videos featuring top myeloma experts who attended this year’s American Society of Hematology annual meeting, including Drs. Jens Hillengass, Elena Zamagni, Rafat Abonour, Paul Richardson, Saad Z. Usmani, and Rafat Abonour. In this week’s video, Dr. Morie Gertz, 30-year myeloma researcher and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic-Rochester, comments on breakthrough presentations from the meeting. Dr. Gertz comments, “This year’s ASH proves that we are moving very close to a cure for myeloma, having converted it to a chronic disease for which we should expect long-term survival for the majority of our patients.” Stay tuned to the Minute for more videos like this one in the weeks to come!
	The IMF Myeloma Support Group Leaders Take Over Twitter at #ASH16 The IMF brought myeloma support group leaders (SGLs) and patients to San Diego, CA for the 58th Annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) Meeting. Of our represented leaders, Teresa Miceli, whose Twitter handle is @imfnursemyeloma; and Cindy Chmielewski, @MyelomaTeacher; were both ranked in the top 10 of Tweeters by Symplur during this hectic conference weekend. All of our SGLs wrote vivid blogs that brought the excitement of ASH to life. Underlying themes in these blogs were “What’s next in the world of myeloma treatment?” and how to maintain hope while facing this disease. (See John DeFlice and Tiffany William’s take on the latter.) Some even recorded video blogs, such as Yelak Biru and Linda Huguelet. ICYMI: catch up on all the action from the ground at ASH 2016 HERE.
​	Give to the IMF When You Shop Online The IMF has a new Amazon link. Whether you shop on Amazon for the holidays or for your daily needs, please bookmark the brand new amazon.myeloma.org., and delete our old Amazon link. At no added cost to you, Amazon will donate a percentage of your total purchase to the IMF. The percentage that Amazon donates to the IMF will continue to increase—even more than 7% at times—depending on how many orders are placed through the IMF portal.

 

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