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In the current issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Hagop Kantarjian, MD and S. Vincent Rajkumar, MD discuss the high cost of cancer drugs and propose some solutions. The high cost of cancer…
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Next Generation Flow Cytometry Workshop in Japan
On Saturday and Sunday, the IMF was honored to chair a workshop in Tokyo, Japan, which introduced Next-Generation Flow Cytometry to more than 160 researchers and technicians eager to learn about this super-sensitive automated new myeloma measuring…
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This week’s news of interim results from the ENDEAVOR trial, a head-to-head comparison of “real world” schedules of Kyprolis versus Velcade, reveals an impressive benefit of carfilzomib over bortezomib in relapsed…
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In a surprise move this week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Farydak®, despite the 5-2 vote by the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommending against approval in November…
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In a highly anticipated decision announced this week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Revlimid in the frontline setting based upon the results of the FIRST trial (which I have discussed in the IMF’s presentation on news from the 2014 American Society of Hematology…
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Cases of measles have been very much in the news: 121 cases (as of today) reported in the U.S. this year. To assess how much myeloma patients might need to be concerned or not, it is helpful to put this number of cases in perspective.
Since 2001 in the U.S., there have been up to 220 cases a…
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There has been some discussion lately about an alternative method of funding myeloma research known as crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is the act of raising money from a large number of individuals on the internet for a specific project or venture.
Is this something that might be helpful for the…
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Pomalidomide Access Program for Relapsed Myeloma in AsiaAccess to new drugs outside of the US is frequently delayed by several years following FDA approval in the US. For example, lenalidomide (Revlimid®) received US FDA approval in June 2006, yet is still not fully…
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In preparing for my “Best of ASH 2014” presentation, I noted there were plenty of new drug presentations, but not as many as were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in 2013. This raised the questions: “What is the driving force behind new drug development in…
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A new study published in Science magazine and reported in the New York Times this week shows that random mutations in normal tissues are more important than…
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In a newbook, writer Diane Kochilas explores why “the small Greek island of Ikaria is home to some of the healthiest, most vibrant people on earth.”…
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More than two dozen experts from around the world gathered in Minneapolis, Minn. Oct. 27, 2014, to assess the current landscape for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) as an option for myeloma patients who have relapsed. “Salvage” transplant—despite its rather gruesome-sounding name—offers an…
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Today's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) hearing convened in an optimistic fashion with many in the myeloma community expecting there would be a recommendation for approval of panobinostat, an HDAC inhibitor used in combination with Velcade and dexamethasone. Publicly available data…
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For some time, members of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG), the IMF's research division, have been trying to identify and describe a group of patients without CRAB…
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Are We Starting to Cure Myeloma?In a recent paper in the journal Blood, Dr. Bart Barlogie and his team at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock claim they are "Curing myeloma at last: defining criteria and providing the evidence." This is a bold statement.…
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In recent weeks, you may have seen full-page newspaper ads signed by 160 award-winning scientists from around the world pleading for funding to help save the planet in the face of climate change. This week, the United Nations convened what the New York Times called "…
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Recently there has been a discussion among some myeloma patients concerning the need for fully personalized myeloma treatment. Is there a benefit to this type of approach? Intuitively, the answer is "yes." But I would argue that "no" is the better answer.
Let me explain. Yes, there are…
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MRD Testing: Have We Found the Method We Need?After more than10 years of progress in myeloma treatment due to the introduction of the novel therapies, researchers now need to know how to eliminate the myeloma cells that remain after current therapies. Today, we are on the brink of having a test…
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A new update from the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) at Mount Sinai Hospital combined with data from the New York City Fire Department indicates that …
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Exciting Frontline Therapy MRD Data From FranceA recent study illustrates just how useful minimal residual disease (MRD) testing by flow cytometry is to predict excellent outcomes with new highly active combination therapies. A…
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Questions continue to pour in about measles virotherapy, which I wrote about in my May 22, 2014 blog here. Myeloma patient and advocate Jack Aiello raised an interesting question: "If the massive 100-billion dose of engineered measles…
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Will Measles Virotherapy Lead to a Myeloma Cure?This week I had a chance to talk to Dr. Stephen Russell of the Mayo Clinic about the new measles virotherapy findings and the future of virotherapy for…
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The IMF is very pleased to see research from Dr. Stephen Russell at the Mayo Clinic achieving success and starting to make a difference for patients. Dr. Russell presented the concept of this…
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As a great fan of Julia Child, I was very pleased to read Mark Bittman's Op-Ed in the New York Times on March 26th: "Butter Is Back." Bittman's piece is based upon a new article in the…
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The IMF Asia Pacific team members just returned from China, where we participated in the annual activities of the IMF's Chinese Myeloma Working Group (CMWG). The team that was in China for the April 9-13th educational events included Dan Navid (Senior Vice…
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FDA Debuts Highly Sensitive MRD Test From Black SwanA significant event in the evolution of the IMF's Black Swan Research Initiative occurred this past weekend in Salamanca, Spain. On March 21-22, the IMF-…
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A recent editorial in Leukemia authored by doctors Shaji Kumar and Vincent Rajkumar of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, provides a thoughtful overview of the current status of minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment in…
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This week there are several interesting items in the news that help us understand how and why monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) occurs, and when it may or may not turn into active myeloma.
Matthew Drake and the Mayo Clinic bone research team worked with a group…
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A new study shows that regular aspirin use reduces the risk of myeloma. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University studied 2,395,458 person-years and showed a 39% lower myeloma risk among…
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A recent article in the medical journal Cancer Cell documents the widespread chromosomal abnormalities present in myeloma cells. The sobering data from this study, the largest of its kind, also demonstrate why the promise…
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Black Swan Research Initiative Hits the Ground RunningThe International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) Black Swan Research Initiative (BSRI) is moving into high gear in the new year. Building on…
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Exploring Single-Cell Studies: A Pathway to Myeloma Cure
In the current issue of the journal Science there is a special section called "Single-Cell Biology" (cells go solo). It is now technically feasible to study individual…
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Processed Foods, Cravings, and the Oreo “Addiction” Debate There is a constant flood of information about food. This is partly because we all eat and someone is always trying to sell us a cookie, organic salad, or whatever we want or crave. But it is also because there is a lot of new…
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There are two important news items to report this week. First, an article in Blood reports that current MRD testing for myeloma in the US is producing quite erratic results.
This disturbing assessment is made based upon a survey of 26 major…
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The Role of Big Data in Advancing Myeloma Research and Treatment
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has announced that it will partner with IBM's Watson…
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A recent article in the New York Times draws attention to how cancers survive and evade the immune system and…
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Global Myeloma Care Guidelines Based on Treatment Access Two recent publications highlight the need to adapt guidelines to accommodate treatment that is truly available in different countries and regions of the world. Myeloma treatment guidelines for …
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Black Swan's Distinctively Different Path to a CureEarlier this year the IMF launched the Black Swan Research Initiative, a breakthrough approach to finding a cure for myeloma. Following in our footsteps, others are ramping up their myeloma research efforts. This is great news for myeloma patients…
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Black Swan Research Initiative Sets the Stage for ProgressWe know that the Black Swan Research Initiative is critically important, so we want to keep you up to date on our plans and progress. For many patients, their future care may depend on…
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The General Consensus on Moderate Alcohol Use
Recent findings have suggested that consuming at least some alcohol may reduce the risk of myeloma. A new comprehensive analysis (pooled analysis of several studies) of 1,567…
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What We're Learning From Black Swan ResearchThe Black Swan Research Initiative team has been busy since our spring launch. Team members are laying the groundwork for clinical trials and perfecting the extra-sensitive testing regimes that will allow us to measure minimal residual disease, identify…
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A recent article by David Berreby in Aeon magazine dubs this "the obesity era" in America. As we are all aware, a high percentage of US citizens are overweight. This is an especially important topic for…
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I have received quite a bit of feedback about my previous blog, mostly with comments or added information. Many readers were happy to learn about the book A History of Food in 100 Recipes…
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It has been a few weeks since I have commented on anything related to food, but three new items have caught my attention. First of all, something really good: a wonderful new book, A History of Food in 100 Recipes, by William…
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Black Swan Researchers Publish Breakthrough FindingsAs the Black Swan Research Initiative (BSRI-- the IMF's innovative approach to finding a cure for myeloma --moves forward since its official launch in March, more and more myeloma researchers are contributing to the framework that is necessary to…
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As it approached 11 p.m. on our first night in Stockholm, the IMF team started to experience the lighter side of Stockholm: it was not yet dark! There was a rose-colored glow in the clouds to the west as midsummer's day was approaching in a few days. June 20th was the summer solstice this…
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Key Insights from the IMWG Summit in Stockholm on Myeloma Research
At the 4th Annual International Myeloma Working Group Summit, which just wrapped up in Stockholm, important questions were again considered by over 70 IMWG myeloma researchers from 29 different countries. With a format structured…
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Guangzhou, China -- You may not have heard of Guangzhou, but it is a huge city in southeast China, two hours by car or rail north of Hong Kong--a bustling manufacturing and financial hub with a population of 13 million. The Pearl River Delta mega-city area, which includes…
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Being interviewed by Sheila Dillon for BBC Radio this week was a great pleasure for me. Sheila is a food expert with an interest in the relationship between food and cancer.
A key question was the…
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The IMF team has just returned from the International Myeloma Workshop (IMW) meeting in Kyoto, Japan, held from April 3rd through April 7th, 2013. The IMW was like a "mini-ASH" devoted to myeloma.
The meeting had a jam-packed program running from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. with investigators…