|
|
|
Welcome to MyelomaLinks,
your monthly source of myeloma news,
research updates, clinical trials
and events of The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society (LLS). For even more information,
regularly visit our Patient
Services and Disease
Information Web
sections. | |
 |
 |
Latest Myeloma
News
Forty
Years' War - Lack of Study Volunteers may Hobble
Cancer Fight
There are more than 6,500
cancer clinical trials seeking adult patients,
according to clinicaltrials.gov, a trials
registry. But many will be abandoned along the
way. More than one trial in five sponsored by
the National Cancer Institute failed to enroll a
single subject, and only half reached the
minimum needed for a meaningful
result.
::READ MORE
NEWS::
| |
|
 |
LLS
Features
::READ
MORE::
.....................................................................................................................................
Research
Roundup ::READ
MORE::
.....................................................................................................................................
IRC Question of
the Month
:: READ
MORE::
| |
|
Inspirational
Stories
 Learn
how individuals touched by blood cancer
cope. LLS's LifeMosaic
Web feature offers hundreds of
inspiring stories by patients and families. Read
them or submit
your own.
|
Here to
Help
For even more information, regularly
visit the LLS Web site, www.LLS.org, where many of our education programs
are archived free of charge for convenient
access 24/7.
If you haven't found what
you're looking for in MyelomaLinks ,
please call our Information Resource Center
(IRC) to speak with trained information
specialists. IRC staff are available Monday
through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, toll free
at (800) 955-4572; email infocenter@lls.org; or click the "Live Patient Help" button
on the www.LLS.org homepage.
Please consider
a tax-deductible gift to LLS. Donate
online today and help us make
a difference in the lives of patients and their
families. | |
|
|
Commentary
Deborah
Banker, Ph.D., shares more
news on
immunotherapies.
Clinical Trials
We invite you to
use our LLS-supported
TrialCheck® Web site
, a clinical trial search service that
offers patients and caregivers immediate access
to listings of all myeloma clinical trials.
Answer just a few simple questions and a list of
available clinical trials related to your cancer
will appear in an easy-to-read list of search
results.
You may also want to
visit the National Cancer Institute's Cancer
Trials Support Unit, providing resources
and information on Phase III cancer treatment
trials supported by the National Cancer
Institute. ::SELECTED TRIALS::
Newsfeeds &
Podcasts
Now
you can get RSS Feeds and Podcasts from LLS.
:: CLICK HERE TO SIGN
UP::
Free
eNewsletters
Free LLS
eNewsletters deliver the latest information on
research and treatment options, patient services
programs and fundraising events.
::CLICK HERE TO SIGN
UP::
| | | |
| 
| | | |
|
|
The
Fog that Follows Chemotherapy
As more
people with cancer survive and try to return to
their former lives, a side effect of
chemotherapy is getting more and more attention.
Its name is apt, if unappealing: chemo brain.
Nearly every chemotherapy patient experiences
short-term problems with memory and
concentration. But about 15 percent suffer
prolonged effects of what is known medically as
chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment.
This is the first of two columns on
cognitive problems from chemotherapy.
Taking
Steps to Cope with Chemo Brain
Cancer can
be a life-changing experience, both physically
and mentally. And when cancer treatment delivers
a knockout punch to cognitive abilities,
patients with the resulting "chemo brain" often
face major challenges trying to get their lives
back on track. This is the second of two
columns on cognitive problems from
chemotherapy.
> Back to the
top | |
|
My
Personal Clinical Trials
Journey
Participate in this personalized
and interactive program that follows the stories
and experiences of three cancer survivors who
have participated in clinical trials.
Co-Pay
Assistance Program
Patients with myeloma
who have difficulty paying for or simply cannot
afford their prescription drug co-pays or health
insurance premiums can now apply for up to
$5,000 in assistance from LLS.
Archived
Educational Events
Experience archived
Myeloma teleconferences and Webcasts free of
charge, anytime. Also, the opportunity to
download the audio file, read the written
transcript or listen online to the recent
program Emerging Therapies in Leukemia,
Lymphoma & Myeloma are now available on
the LLS Web site.
LLS
Advocacy
LLS's advocacy team represents
the needs of cancer patients and their families
in Washington, DC and state capitals throughout
the United States. We need your help. Join
our Advocates Network and make your voice
heard.
TAKE
ACTION: Urge Your Representative to Support
Increased Cancer Research Funding - Tell
your elected officials that to win the war on
cancer, they need to fund the war on
cancer!
Free
Materials
New detailed and basic myeloma
booklets are now available in English and
Spanish. To view and order, see Myeloma,
The
Myeloma Guide, Mieloma
and La
guía sobre el myeloma.
We'd Like to Hear from
You!
Please give us your feedback
after you read an LLS Publication by completing
our evaluation:
LLS
Disease & Treatment Publications - Survey
for Patients, Family and Friends
Nos gustaría saber sus
opiniones
Por favor denos sus
comentarios después de leer una publicación de
LLS completando nuestra evaluación:
Publicaciones
de LLS sobre enfermedades y tratamiento:
Encuesta para pacientes, familiares y
amigos
LLS Blog
The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society is committed to curing blood cancers and
helping patients and their families. Learn
the many ways you can help advance
LLS's mission.
> Back to the
top | |
|
International Myeloma
Working Group guidelines for the management of
multiple myeloma patients ineligible for
standard high-dose chemotherapy with autologous
stem cell transplantation. ::READ
MORE::
Lenalidomide in combination with
dexamethasone at first relapse in comparison
with its use as later salvage therapy in
relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. ::READ
MORE::
Bortezomib, ascorbic acid and melphalan (BAM)
therapy for patients with newly diagnosed
multiple myeloma: an effective and
well-tolerated frontline regimen. ::READ
MORE::
Plerixafor and G-CSF versus placebo and G-CSF
to mobilize hematopoietic stem cells for
autologous stem cell transplantation in patients
with multiple myeloma. ::READ
MORE::
> Back to the
top
| |
Selected
Trials
Phase II: Lenalidomide and
Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients with
Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma ::READ
MORE::
A Study of Bevacizumab in Combination with
Bortezomib in Patients with Relapsed or
Refractory Multiple Myeloma ::READ
MORE::
Phase III Study to Determine Efficacy and
Safety of Lenalidomide Plus Low-Dose
Dexamethasone Versus Melphalan, Prednisone,
Thalidomide in Patients with Previously
Untreated Multiple Myeloma ::READ
MORE::
Phase III: Autologous or Syngeneic Stem Cell
Transplant Followed by Donor Stem Cell
Transplant and Bortezomib in Treating Patients
with Newly Diagnosed High-Risk, Relapsed, or
Refractory Multiple Myeloma ::READ
MORE::
> Back to the
top | |
IRC Question of
the Month
| 
Q: I
am scheduled to have radiation therapy as part
of my treatment for myeloma. What side effects
can I expect from this form of treatment?
A: Radiation therapy, also
known as radiotherapy, works by damaging the
genetic material (DNA) within cells, which
prevents them from growing and reproducing.
Although the therapy targets cancer cells,
healthy cells near the cancer cells may also be
damaged. A goal of radiotherapy is to protect
the healthy cells as much as possible, so that
the benefit (destroying cancer cells) outweighs
the risk (harming healthy cells). Side effects
usually occur as a result of the radiation on
tissue that contains rapidly dividing cells.
This includes the hair follicles and the
gastrointestinal tract lining.
Some patients may have no noticeable side
effects or very mild ones. For others, there can
be side effects of a type and severity that
depend on the dose, location, and duration of
the radiation. If radiation is given as
conditioning treatment prior to stem cell
transplant (total body radiation) then more
intense side effects may occur. Side effects of
radiation therapy may include increased fatigue,
hair loss, diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite,
skin irritation and mouth sores (mucositis).
Most side effects will gradually go away after
the treatment is finished. Discuss the
course and effects of your treatment with your
doctor and radiation therapist.
Radiotherapy may cause long-term and late
effects (side effects that become apparent
months or years after the completion of
treatment). These effects depend on such factors
as the age of the patient and the dose and
location of treatment. Some potential long-term
and late effects of radiation therapy are the
development of a second cancer or infertility.
It is important to discuss long-term and late
effects with members of your oncology team
before treatment begins.
During and after radiotherapy you need to get
plenty of rest and follow a nutritious diet.
Eating well during and after therapy will help
you to cope with side effects, fight infection,
rebuild healthy tissue and maintain body weight
and energy. You also need to follow your
physician's advice about caring for the areas of
skin that were exposed to radiation.
For more information on radiation therapy and
side effects, you may access the LLS
Radiation Therapy Web page. You can also
view, print or order the free LLS
fact sheets Long-Term and Late Effects of
Treatment in Adults and Long-Term
and Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood
Leukemia or Lymphoma.
Please call our
Information Resource Center (IRC) to speak with
a trained information specialist. IRC staff are
available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6
p.m. ET, toll free at (800) 955-4572. Contact
us online or click the "Live
Patient Help" button on the www.LLS.org
homepage.
> Back to the
top | |
| | | |
|
|
 |
Supported by an
unrestricted
educational grant
from
  |
 |
|
Contact Us: The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 1311 Mamaroneck
Ave., White Plains, NY 10605, (800)
955-4572
|
|
| Visit our e-Store
& Special Offers page where you can
support businesses that support
LLS. | | | | | |
|
| | | |
